Darwin Brown, instructor in UNMC’s Physician Assistant Education program, has been named to the prestigious 2002 Secretary’s Heath and Human Services Primary Health Care Policy Fellowship. He is one of two physician assistants named to the fellowship — marking only the second time in history that two PAs were chosen in the same year.
Brown will participate in an intensive six-month program. It teaches primary health care practitioners, academics, researchers and administrators the dynamics of primary health care policy development, the legislative process, and resource identification.
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) nominated Brown. He has been involved with the UNMC PA program since 1987, participating in everything from coordinating courses to teaching, advising, and administration. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Brown treats patients at UNMC and at the Douglas County Health Clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. He also is pursuing a master’s degree in public health.
“It’s a great honor to be nominated by the Academy for such a prestigious appointment, and I hope I’m worthy of the call,” Brown said. During the fellowship, he hopes to “develop skills and tools, as well as a better understanding of the whole process of health care policy development, and hopefully utilize those skills down the road for sate and local benefit, as well as the Academy’s.”
Brown has been active in state and national PA organizations, holding leadership positions in virtually every group to which he has belonged. He served six years as a member of the AAPA Professional Practice Council, during which he contributed to the council’s papers on topics such as end-of-life decision making, genetic testing, rural health, HIV, and managed care. He also worked with the council to develop policies on bioterrorism, telemedicine and physician-PA team practice, as well as updating the profession’s code of ethics.
On the state level, Brown has served as a board member, president elect and president of the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants. He also represents PAs on a patient safety work group developed by the Nebraska Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
Also honored was Jeff Streff, who was appointed as the first PA advisor to the under secretary for the Veterans Health Administration in the VA last August. A PA for 22 years, Streff works at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisc., and is a major in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
This is the 12th year of the fellowship. An AAPA nominee has been chosen each year. In addition to Brown and Streff, 28 other physicians, nurses, dentists, social workers, psychologists and pharmacists were chosen to participate.
Reprinted with permission.