MAPA Student Member, Denny Nguyen, Elected to AAPA Student Academy as North Central Region Director

Congratulations to MAPA Student Member, Denny Nguyen on his election to the American Academy of Physician Associates Student Academy as the North Central Region Director!

In his new role, Nguyen will be promoting leadership opportunities within the Student Academy, student member benefits, and involvement with the AAPA’s advocacy efforts. According to the AAPA, Regional Directors are also in charge of, “communicating AAPA news and information, resources, and opportunities with Student Academy Representatives (SARs) within their respective regions.”

While the added responsibilities might seem daunting to most PA-Students, Nguyen welcomes the challenge. As an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota, he also served as the Internal Vice President of the Vietnamese Student Association. Through his work with the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations, he helped coordinate a conference for over 300 student leaders from 11 different states. Nguyen will bring his unique experience of connecting student- leaders from different states to his role as North Central Regional Director.

In addition to being a first-year PA Student at Bethel University, Nguyen is also one of 12 student-leaders serving on the MAPA Student Board of Directors. The Student Board of Directors attends MAPA Board Meetings and votes on policy updates (The MAPA Student Board combined makes up two votes). Student Board Members also attend Student Relations Committee meetings and are involved in coordinating a variety of PA Student initiatives such as the PA Student Summit. Nguyen said he was, “inspired by the amount of work that could be accomplished by such a small yet highly motivated yet highly caffeinated group of students and mentors.”

Nguyen has also participated in several MAPA Pre-PA events at local universities. Most notably, Nguyen is leading MAPA’s first inter-program event: a day of volunteering with the Special Olympics USA Games followed by a MAPA Student Get Together on June 20.  Based on his passion for leadership and community building, its no surprise that Nguyen is also a member MAPA’s Leadership & Development Committee.

In his role as North Central Regional director, Nguyen hopes to foster a community of welcoming and supportive student-leaders. He says he envisions, “leaders who refuse to wait. Who encourage each other and recognize that their ability to create an impact as PAs starts now; as students.”

Please join us in congratulating Denny as he takes on this well-deserved leadership role!

MAPA’s Leslie Clayton, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA to Become AAPA President-Elect in 2026

MAPA is thrilled to share that Leslie Clayton will become AAPA President-Elect starting July 1, 2026. Leslie has been a MAPA Member for almost 20 years and has served as both MAPA President and Legislative Chair.

Leslie’s long track record of leadership will serve her well in her upcoming role with the AAPA. Congratulations, Leslie!

Fall CME Presentations Preview

Congratulations to our accepted CME presenters! Check out their presentation topics and be sure to register for the Fall CME Conference on September 24 and 25 at Breezy Point Resort.

Additional presenters and topics coming soon!

Clinton Billhorn, PA-C, CAQ-HM: The Feedback Loop: Interactive Workshop on Clinical Feedback Perception Human vs AI: Trust, Tone, And Tech (Co Presenting)

Diana Soran DMSc, PA-C: The Feedback Loop: Interactive Workshop on Clinical Feedback Perception Human vs AI: Trust, Tone, And Tech (Co Presenting)

Nicole Cole, PA-C: Treatment Resistant Depression: Options When Depression Continues to Impact Daily Life

Ashleigh Cutt, PA-C: Lifestyle Medicine Jeopardy

Amanda DeVoss, MMS, PA-C: The Silent Threat: Early Diagnosis and Management of MASLD

Joel Hill, MPAS, PA-C: Bridging the Gap: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Comprehensive Immigrant Care

Kelsey Henriquez, MPAS, PA-C: How to Decide if your Patient Can Decide: A Step by Step Guide to Evaluating Medical Decision Making Capacity

Rebecca Jones, PA-C, MSPAS, CAQ-PMHC, DFAAPA: Provider Distress- How Did We Get Here and How do we Avoid it?

Lucian Panait, MD, MBA: A Primary Care Guide to Modern Hernia Management and Referral & The Scalpel vs. The Syringe: Navigating the Intersection of GLP-1s and Bariatric Surgery

Alicia Quella, PhD, PA-C: Update from NCCPA: Focus on the PANRE/PANRE-LA

Jenna Richardson, PA-C: Heme/Onc Emergencies

Matt Weiseman, PA-C: Vomit, Visit, Repeat: Understanding Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome and Breaking the Cycle

Election Results are in!

Congratulations to our election winners and good luck helping guide MAPA in the 2026-27 term year.

In addition to the candidate elections, MAPA had several proposed bylaws revisions to facilitate the work we do. All the proposed bylaws revisions were accepted. Thanks to all the MAPA members who voted.

This year’s successful candidates include the following:

• Jennie Goble, Treasurer (incumbent)

• Becky Randall, Director at Large

• Fadumo Ismail, Director at Large

Delegates to AAPA HOD

• Elizabeth Wallis
• Sarah Cornell
• Josh Loew
• Terence Panvica

Next year, we hope some of you will consider running for office yourselves so that we can continue to make MAPA strong.

May MAPA Member of the Month

This May, MAPA is proud to recognize Slava White, PA-C for her decades of dedication to patients and her community.

A graduate of Wichita State University (1991), Slava has spent her entire career practicing rural family medicine, bringing compassionate, patient-centered care to generations of families. For 35 years, she has had the unique privilege of serving the same community, building lasting relationships grounded in trust, respect, and continuity of care.

 Slava approaches medicine with a simple but powerful philosophy: we are all doing our best every day. She believes every patient deserves to be heard and respected, and she prioritizes listening to their stories, concerns, and fears. This commitment has made her not only a provider, but a trusted partner in her patients’ lives.

Outside of work, Slava embraces the outdoors through hiking, running, and gardening. She’s an avid reader across genres and loves traveling to explore the beauty of our country and the world. As she begins to wind down her remarkable career, she is looking forward to her newest and most cherished role, being a grandparent.

Thank you, Slava, for your years of service, compassion, and the lasting impact you’ve made on your patients and the PA profession.

MAPA Members Make their Mark at 2026 AAPA Conference in New Orleans

Still recovering from from a whirlwind conference in the Big Easy? Us too. But it wasn’t all hurricane drinks and biegnets in the French Quarter. MAPA showed up and represented Minnesota with pride at the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) National Conference.

Connections Made at MAPA Meet-Up

Over 50 PAs and PA students joined us for the MAPA Meet-Up on May 17. We were thrilled to see so many familiar faces and newcomers from Minnesota. The welcoming event featured good food provided by MAPA, a cash bar, and plenty of opportunity for connecting with colleagues old and new.

Mayo PA Program’s Quiz Bowl Team is Among the Top 6 in the Nation

We were proud to cheer on our Student MAPA Members from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences PA Program as their Quiz Bowl Team advanced all the way to the semifinals! Top 6 in the nation is pretty impressive! Congratulations to Team Mayo: Nina Langley, Megan Drayna, Clair Cardinal.

Eleven MAPA Members Presented at AAPA

From tapering patients off of steroid medication, to laboratory medicine, and even  preventing early-career burnout, our MAPA PAs presented on a wide variety of topics at this year’s AAPA Conference. We are proud of the way they represented Minnesota while sharing their expertise.