VanderMeulen testifies before Congress on PAs

Stephane VanderMeulen, assistant professor of physician assistant education in the School of Allied Health Professions, testified before the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday on the important role of physician assistants in the changing world of health care.

Stephane VanderMeulen, left, with Sen. Ben Sasse and the executive director of Physician Assistant Education Association, Timi Agar-Barwick.

VanderMeulen was testifying in her role as president of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), a national organization representing the 196 accredited physician assistant (PA) educational programs in the US.

VanderMeulen is only the second PA to ever testify before Congress on behalf of the PAEA.

To read the PAEA’s account of the testimony, click here.

“My message was pretty straight-forward,” she said. “I tried to explain how PAs are an integral part of the health care team … that PAs are going to play an increasingly vital role as health care reform continues in the U.S.”

While in Washington, D.C., VanderMeulen met with all five members of the Nebraska delegation — Sen. Ben Sasse, Sen. Deb Fischer, Rep. Brad Ashford, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and Rep. Adrian Smith.

Established in 1972, PAEA is the only national organization in the United States representing PA educational programs. Its mission is to pursue excellence, foster faculty development, advance the body of knowledge that defines quality education and patient-centered care, and promote diversity in all aspects of PA education.