Program Director
Email: Jbarwell@daemen.edu
Phone Number:听716-839-8563听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Office Location: Curtis Hall, room 105
Office Hours by appointment only.
Jennifer Barwell is a graduate of the 麻豆国产AV College Physician Assistant Program, and has been a certified PA since 2008. She has clinical experience in primary care and rheumatology and continues to hold a clinical position in internal medicine. After many years as an adjunct professor, Barwell joined the 麻豆国产AV College program as a full-time faculty member in 2018. 听In 2024 she completed a Doctor of Medical Science degree from the University of Lynchburg with a concentration in PA education.
Barwell is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA). As a PA student at 麻豆国产AV, she held the position of student director for the NYSSPA. She is also a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA).
Education:
- B.S./M.S. Physician Assistant Studies, 麻豆国产AV College, 鈥08
- DMSc. PA Education Concentration, University of Lynchburg, '24
Primary Courses Taught:
- PAS 519 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine-Rheumatology
- PAS 517 Physical Diagnosis I
- PAS 520 Physical Diagnosis II
- PAS 520L Physical Diagnosis II Lab
- PAS 525 Clinical Problem Solving
- PAS 612 Research I
- PAS 613 Research II
Areas of Interest:
- Rheumatology
- Family medicine
- Standardized patient utilization and human simulation in PA edu
- cation
Associate Program Director
Email: akirk@daemen.edu
Phone Number: 716-839-8330听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Office Location: Thomas Reynolds Center, room 102
Office hours by appointment only.
Allyson Kirk has been practicing medicine for 22 years. Born and raised in Western New York, she attended PA school at D鈥橸ouville College and then pursued her master鈥檚 degree at the University of Nebraska. She worked in family medicine for the first 15 years of her career with special interest in mental health and diabetes. She changed her clinical path seven years ago and now practices allergy and immunology. Her teaching career began at 麻豆国产AV College in 2001 and she has been educating PA students ever since. She is a member of the AAPA, NYSSPA and WNYPAA and in 2015 was the recipient of NYSSPA鈥檚 Physician Assistant Educator of the Year Award.听
Kirk and her husband, Kevin, spend many hours watching their three children play sports. She enjoys reading and exercising.听
Education:
- B.S. Physician Assistant, D鈥橸ouville College, Buffalo, New York, '98
- M.S. Physician Assistant, The University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, '01
Primary Courses Taught:
- PAS 513 Clinical Laboratory Medicine
- PAS 515 Hematology
- PAS 518 and 521 Pharmacology
- PAS 520 Physical Diagnosis Lab
- PAS 525 Clinical Problem Solving
- PAS 531 Preventive Medicine
- PAS 612 and 613 Research
Areas of Interest:
- Allergy and immunology
- Preventive medicine
Publications and Presentations:
- Poster Presentation 鈥 Transforming Care for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Innovations in Education 2015 NYSSPA Annual CME Conference
- Poster Presentation 鈥 The Use of Skin Prick Testing and RAST as Predictors of Successful Food Challenges 2015 NYSSPA Annual CME Conference听
- CME Lecture 鈥 Lived and Learned: New Strategies in Successful Advisement 2016 NYSSPA Annual CME Conference
- Flushing Lesion on a 4-month old Clinician Reviews February 2016
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Email: cinnus@daemen.edu 听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Phone Number: 716-839-8226 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Office Location: Curtis Hall, room 102
Office hours by appointment only.
Cara Innus began her career as a physician assistant in 1999, and began teaching at 麻豆国产AV College in 2004. She has practiced in family medicine and rheumatology. She has been an active member of New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA) and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). She has a special interest in disease prevention, patient education and wellness.听In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as exercising and gardening. 听
- Bachelor of Science, 麻豆国产AV College, '99
- Master of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Nebraska, '02
Primary Courses Taught:
- PAS 515 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine I 鈥 Gastroenterology
- PAS 517 鈥 Physical Diagnosis I Lab
- PAS 520 Physical Diagnosis II Lab
- PAS 521 Pharmacology II
- PAS 527 Geriatrics
Areas of Interest:
- Family medicine
- Rheumatology
- Preventative medicine
- Functional medicine
Publications and听Presentations:听
- CME Lecture: Lived and Learned: New Strategies in Successful Advisement 2016 NYSSPA
- Annual CME Conference
Medical Director
Dr. Behrens moved from Germany to the U.S. in 1999. He completed his undergraduate studies in physical/medical anthropology in 2005 at the University of Buffalo and received his M.D. from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2009. Behrens entered residency in emergency medicine after graduation in 2012 and joined the faculty of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University听at Buffalo. He has worked at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), the local level 1 trauma center, the Global Vascular Institute at the Buffalo General Medical Center and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. These days he spends all of his clinical time caring for our nation鈥檚 veterans at the VA medical center where he is the department director and chief of emergency medicine.
He initially became involved in physician assistant听education while assisting the formation of a PA residency in emergency medicine in 2013. He has had the pleasure of working side by side with PA鈥檚 throughout his career and is very involved 听with the development of future PA鈥檚 as medical director for the program.
Behrens is the emergency physician for the local National Hockey League听team, the Buffalo Sabres, as well as the local National Lacrosse League team, the Buffalo Bandits. He attends most home games and covers all vascular and airway emergencies not only for the home team but for the visiting teams and referees as well.
Education:
- B.A Physical/Medical Anthropology, University at Buffalo, 鈥05
- M.D. SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine, 鈥09
- Residency Emergency Medicine, SUNY at Buffalo Dept of Emergency Medicine, 鈥12
Primary courses taught:
- Emergency medicine
- Geriatrics
- Pharmacology
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Faculty
Email: gczajka@daemen.edu
Phone Number: 716-566-7886听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Office Location: Curtis Hall, room听104
Office Hours by appointment only.
Professor Czajka received his master's in physician assistant studies with a concentration in neurosurgery in 2000 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He has been a practicing PA for over 40 years. He started as an adjunct faculty member听at 麻豆国产AV in 1996 and continued as an adjunct faculty member until becoming a full-time faculty member in 2014. Over the course of his career, he has worked in family practice, emergency medicine, general/vascular surgery, neurosurgery and urology with over 25 years of surgical experience. He was the first PA to be admitted to the medical staff of Sisters of Charity Hospital in 1986. Czajka has been very active throughout his career in the Western New York PA Association (WNYPAA) having served as vice president and CME chairman for many years. He is a husband and father who thoroughly enjoys all sports but especially football, hockey and golf and is an avid Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres fan. Also in his free time, he and his wife, Camilla, enjoy watching their children and grandchildren play soccer, baseball and football.
Education:听
- BS Hahnemann University, ('79) Health Science/Physician Assistant Studies
- MPAS - Neurosurgery, University of Nebraska ('00)
- Distinguished Fellow, American Academy of Physician Assistants (鈥17)
Primary Courses Taught:
- PAS515 Intro to Radiology
- PAS 515 Urology
- PAS 519 Advanced Radiology
- PAS 519 Neurology
- PAS 520 Physical Diagnosis II
- PAS 525 Clinical Problem Solving
- PAS 528 Emergency Medicine-Advanced Procedures
- PAS 612 Research I
- PAS 613 Research II听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听
Areas of Interest:
- Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Urology
- Student mentoring
Publications:
- Clinician鈥檚 Review 9/17: 听A case of Fournier鈥檚 gangrene with an additional unusual complication
- Journal American Academy of Physician Assistants 9/18: Cecal perforation: A rare complication of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in a patient with hydrocephalus
Email: djohnst2@daemen.edu
Phone Number: 716-839-7272听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听
Office Location: Curtis Hall, room 209
Office hours by appointment only.
Danielle Johnston is a born and raised Western New Yorker who graduated from the 麻豆国产AV College Physician Assistant B.S./M.S. program in 2010. Working first in rural primary care, she also has clinical experience in otolaryngology and dermatology where she has been a preceptor for PA students since early in her career. Johnston became a guest lecturer and adjunct for local PA programs in 2016 and started full-time as the assistant clinical coordinator and lecturer at RIT鈥檚 PA program in 2018. Johnston joined the 麻豆国产AV College PA faculty full-time in 2020 as assistant professor and continues to work clinically in dermatology.听Johnston served as the president of Western New York Physician Assistant Association (WNYPAA) from 2016-18 and continues to serve as a board member at large. She is a wife and mother, bills fan, skier/snowboarder, and loves to bake.
Education:
- 麻豆国产AV College Physician Assistant Program BS/MS 2010
Courses Taught:
- PAS 515 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine I 鈥 Dermatology
- PAS 517 鈥 Physical Diagnosis I lab
- PAS 521 Pharmacology II 鈥 Dermatology
- PAS 525 鈥 Clinical Problem Solving
- PAS 612, 613 鈥 Research I and II
- PAS 614, 615, 616 鈥 Clinical Seminar I, II, and III
Areas of interest:
- Dermatology
- Clinical education
Publications and Presentations:
- Presentations: NYSSPA Conference 鈥 Dermatology for the non-Dermatologist, 2018 and 2020
- Publication: 鈥淒erm Dx: Itching and Scaling of the Nipple鈥 The Clinical Advisor August 2020
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Email:听
Phone Number: 716-839-7669
Office Location: Thomas Reynolds Center, room 102
Office hours by appointment only.
Sarah Latchford has been a practicing physician assistant since 2002. A lifelong resident of Western New York, she attended PA school immediately after graduating high school, receiving her bachelor鈥檚 degree from D鈥橸ouville College and her master鈥檚 degree from the University of Nebraska. Over the course of Latchford鈥檚 career, she has worked in family practice, allergy and听immunology and now practices in rheumatology. She has been a full time faculty member with 麻豆国产AV College since 2016 after serving as an adjunct in the program for many years prior to her full time faculty position. Latchford听is a member of the New York Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA), Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), and Western New York Physician Assistant Association (WNYPAA). When she is not working, Latchford enjoys spending time with her husband and her two boys, watching her them play baseball and traveling with her family.
Education:
- BS Physician Assistant Studies (2002)
- MPAS Family Medicine University of Nebraska (2007)
- Primary Courses Taught: PAS 535 Medical Professional Issues I and II, PAS 520L Physical Diagnosis Lab, PAS 522 The Cultural and Psychosocial Dynamics of Healthcare, PAS 515 Fundamentals of Medicine- Pulmonology, PAS 525 Clinical Problem Solving, PAS 612, 613 Research I and II.
Areas of Interest:听
- Pulmonology
- Standardized patient utilization and human simulation
Publications and Presentations:
- Poster Presentation-Presumed Penicillin Allergy and Barriers to Skin Testing
- NYSSPA Annual CME Conference 2018
- Flushing Lesion on a 4-month-old Clinician Reviews February 2016
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Email: jpatters@daemen.edu 听听听听听听听听听听听听
Phone Number: 716-839-8315 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Office Location: Curtis Hall, room 105
Office hours by appointment only.
Professor Joel Patterson began his career in non-invasive cardiology over 20 years ago after graduating from the 麻豆国产AV College Physician Assistant Program and continuing on for his master's degree at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. His cardiovascular training also includes invasive cardiology and electrophysiology, primarily through the Buffalo Medical Group under the guidance of Blaze Sekovski MD FACC. He began teaching at 麻豆国产AV in the Physician Assistant Department as an adjunct professor in 1999 before becoming full time in 2002. Patterson served as the associate program director for clinical education before recently accepting the position of program director for the department. He has served as the former president of PASS (Physician Assistant Student Society) and continues to serve as an advisor to all year five听clinical students.
Patterson is married with two听children and his personal interests include many sports with participation in football, hockey, skiing and baseball. He has 30-plus years of coaching experience, including 10 years of coaching at the NCAA Division I听level. Patterson was proudly awarded 2006 and 2013 New York State听Society of Physician Assistants Educator of the Year.听
- B. A. Biology, Canisius College, 鈥88
- B.S. Physician Assistant Studies 麻豆国产AV College, 鈥99
- M.P.A.S. Cardiology, University of Nebraska, 鈥03
Primary Courses Taught:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Pathophysiology
- Clinical lab medicine
Areas of Interest:
- The management of patients with cardiomyopathies (ischemic and non-Ischemic) and heart failure听
- Currently practicing cardiology at听Erie County Medical Center (ECMC)听where he听has听actively participated in heart failure and hypertension trials.
Email: gshutts@daemen.edu 听听听听听听听听听
Phone Number: 716-839-8316听 听 听听
Office Location: Curtis Hall, room 101
Dr. Gregg Shutts has been a practicing physician assistant听in primary care pediatrics since graduating from Yale University鈥檚 PA program in 1995. He began teaching in 1997 at 麻豆国产AV College and served as program director and department chair for 18 years. Shutts has served as a site visitor and commissioner for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and is a member of the Board of Medicine for the State of New York.
He has been recognized by his peers earning New York State Society of Physician Assistants' (NYSSPA)听PA Educator of the Year (2005), 麻豆国产AV College鈥檚 Outstanding Faculty Award (2018), and the WNY Healthcare Champion Award (2018). Dedicated to improving access to care and addressing social determinants of health for medically underserved children and their families, he has primarily practiced in urban teaching hospitals, federally qualified health centers (FQHC), public schools, detention centers, and mobile health units for the past 25 years. Currently, he cares for infants, children, and adolescents at the Neighborhood Health Center in Buffalo, whose mission is impactful healthcare provided by kind people so Western New Yorkers can achieve their dreams and goals.
Shutts is a husband, father, and lover of dogs. In his free time, he enjoys biking, kayaking, walking on the beach, the New York Yankees, the Buffalo Bills, and volunteering as a firefighter/EMT with the Snyder Fire Department.
Education:
- B.S. Health Science, State University College at Cortland, '90
- Physician Associate Graduate Certificate, Yale University School of Medicine, '95
- M.S. Student Personnel Administration., SUNY College at Buffalo, '00
- Ed.D. Health Policy, D'Youville College, '08
- Distinguished Fellow, American Academy of Physician Assistants, '10
Primary Courses Taught:
- PAS524 Clinical Pediatrics
- PAS535 Medical Professional Issues
Areas of Interest:
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral health
- Governance
- Professional advocacy
Email: gstyn@daemen.edu
Phone Number: 839-8529听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Office Location: Schenck Hall, room 109A
Office Hours by appointment only.
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Dr. Gary Styn began his career in teaching physician assistants听students at 麻豆国产AV in 1998, and has taught every single 麻豆国产AV PA graduate to date. For several years, his teaching duties were limited to the PA program, but in 2005 he assumed directorship of the graduate gross anatomy lab, and expanded his teaching role to include PT students, and in 2010 added athletic training听students. He enjoys offering high school and other groups into the lab for tours and educational sessions as well. Since 2018, he has had a volunteer faculty appointment at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences as clinical assistant professor in the department of pathology and anatomical sciences where he teaches first-year medical students in the gross anatomy lab.听Outside of the lab, Styn has accompanied the Students Without Borders group to the Dominican Republic for 11 medical mission trips.听
Styn and his wife, Patti, have three children, all graduates of 麻豆国产AV (Emily, social work;听and Gary III and Thomas, both doctors of physical therapy), and are also the proud grandparents of three听grandsons.
Styn has many varied interests, but music has been an important part of his life since the beginning. He plays several instruments, composes regularly, does studio work on local recording projects, and has performed locally and nationally over a career spanning 38 years.
Education:
- B.A. State College of New York at Buffalo
- M.D., State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Primary Courses Taught:
- Advanced Human Anatomy I/II
- Clinical Functional Anatomy I/II
- Gross Anatomy
Areas of Interest:
- Clinical anatomy
- Gross anatomy video library
- Student mentoring
Publications and Presentations:
- 2019. Proximal Plantar Intrinsic Tendinopathy. Journal of American Podiatric Medical听 Association.
- Summers 2019, 2018. Giovanni Mazzotti International Anatomy Conference 鈥 Chief Anatomist听听
- 2008. Lessons from the dead: Undergraduate experiences of work with cadavers. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying
Email:听karl.terryberry@daemen.edu
Phone Number: 716-839-8274
Office Location: Wick, room 208
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from听11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and by appointment.
Dr. Karl Terryberry鈥檚 previous teaching experience includes professorships at The University of North Carolina (Elizabeth City) and D鈥橸ouville College and teaching at a public school. He has also worked outside of academia serving as a writer and personal representative for the president of a Fortune 500 communications company and as an editor and writer for various businesses and industry. His consulting work in the medical community formed his thinking about how to incorporate writing and research for the health professions programs at 麻豆国产AV College, which began in 2000. His current publications in the field of medical writing and research are supported by his textbook, Writing for the Health Professions (2nd Ed), which is used in health science and nursing programs across this country as well as in Europe and Asia. Dr. Terryberry recently co-authored a textbook on neuromuscular development treatment and health science education, and he has invited several students to participate in grant-supported research projects in rehab medicine. In addition to teaching writing and research, conducting research, and publishing in his field, he also has lectured on the subject of evidence-based practice and research writing for various PA programs, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) national conference, and the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) national conference. For eight听years, he sat on the board of the PAEA National Writing Commission, setting the standards for research writing assessment and judging the National Writing Competition. He is currently the chair of the Academic Progress Committee in the PA Program.
Terryberry also is active in his community. He has held board seats in local government, he serves on the Board of Trustees at WNY Maritime Charter School, and he has given interviews and spoken at school board meetings on the subject of homeschooling. He lives in Lewiston, NY, with his wife Christine and two children, Katherine and James, and he is actively involved with coaching youth baseball, softball, and rugby. He also still plays competitive hockey and rugby and still enjoys recreational sports such as golf, fishing, skiing, tennis, sailing, and squash. Any free time is dedicated to managing his farm in Wyoming County.
Education:
- Ph. D. University of South Carolina
- MA University of South Carolina
- BA Houghton College
Primary Courses Taught:
- PAS 529: Research Methods
- CMP 315: Writing for the Health Professions
Current Areas of Interest:
- Writing pedagogy
- Cognitive science applied to writing and reasoning
He is published in the areas of expository writing, American literature, children鈥檚 literature, health professions education, and rehab science.
Recent Publications and Presentations:听
Textbooks
- Terryberry K. Writing for the Health Professions. 2nd Ed. Ann Arbor: XanEdu, 2017.
- Terryberry K and Kayingo, G. Scholarship Reconsidered for Health Professions Educators. In: Kayingo G and Hass VM, Eds. The Health Professions Educator: A Practical Guide for New and Established Faculty. New York: Springer, 2017.
Research Articles
- Christie S, Ford G, Styn G, Terryberry K. Proximal Plantar Intrinsic Tendinosis (PPIT) 鈥 Anatomic and Biomechanical Considerations in Plantar Heel Pain. .
Administration
Email: rgordon@daemen.edu
Phone Number: 716-839-8551
Office Location: Curtis
Education
- B.S. Business Administration and Economics, The Kings College ('89)
Email: vsanlore@daemen.edu
Phone Number: 716-839-8383
Office Location: Curtis
Education
- B.S. Business Administration and Marketing, State University College at Buffalo ('93)
Staff
Phone Number: 716-839-7360
Part-time Faculty and Course Directors
- Samuel Ali, PA-C
- Jeffrey Constantine, MD
- Brie Ann Slaughter, PA-C听
- R. Abe DeBadts, PA-C
- Michele Fisher, PA-C
- Jillian LaMarca, PA-C
- Christina Long, PA-C
- Brian May, PA-C
- Katie Miller, PA-C听
- Anthony Pivarunas, DO
- Valerie Stilb, PA-C
- Mark Turoldo, PA-C
- Gregory Wolfley, PA-C
- Mark Zambron, MD
- Mike Asbach, PA-C
- Victoria Henry, PA-C
- Amanda Berhard, PA-C
- Paul Sandell, PA-C
- Rebecca Cleary, PA-C
- Tony DellaValle, PA-C
- Taylore Passero, PA-C
- Jennifer Meng, PA-C
- Laura Malysza, PA-C
- Mike Gallagher, PA-C
- Kerry Boser, PA-C
- Nicholas Bossert, PA-C
- Lindsey Konst, PA-C
- Jon Claus, MD
- Julie Teprovich, PA-C
- Anthony Graziano, PA-C
- Nicolette Sciolino, PA-C
- Frank Domnisch, PA-C
- Allison Fout, PA-C
- Jason Hooper, PA-C