Spotlight on new faculty – Cody Sasek

Cody Sasek

Cody Sasek is a new faculty member in the College of Medicine’s School of Allied Health Professions. Here’s a brief rundown of his background and the expertise he brings to UNMC.

• Name: Cody Sasek
• Hometown: Wilber, Neb.
• New title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor in the physician assistant program within the School of Allied Health Professions

Research/professional interests:
Orthopaedics, sports medicine, utilization of physician assistants in surgical settings, patient safety.

How I fell in love with a career as a physician assistant:
I have always had an interest in medicine and helping others. As an undergraduate, I pursued a degree in athletic training and gained certification upon graduation. At that point, I was looking to become more directly involved in managing patient care. A career as a physician assistant has allowed me to continue to help people as well as expand my scope of practice. My recent transition to higher education has allowed for a new path toward helping others, by developing highly skilled and knowledgeable physician assistants to care for patients throughout Nebraska and around the country.

Degrees:

• Master of physician assistant studies, UNMC, 2009.
• Bachelor of Science in athletic training, University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2006

Previous Positions:

• Clinical PA, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic of Kansas City, Leawood, Kansas, January 2010 through December 2013.

Memberships:

• Physician Assistant Education Association
• American Academy of Physician Assistants, Fellow.
• Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants, Fellow.

Three things people may not know about me:

• I don’t sit still well. I’ve always got to be doing something!
• I am an avid runner and triathlete, completing Ironman Wisconsin last September.
• The phonetic spelling of my last name is a bit different from what you might think;. It is pronounced Shush-ek.