Stephen Adams, MD

Lawrence Blonde, MD

Dr. Lawrence Blonde, MD, FACP, FACE, serves as Director of the Ochsner Diabetes Clinical Research Unit in the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and is an Associate of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Dr. Blonde graduated from Albany Medical College in New York, where he also completed his internship, residency, and endocrinology fellowship. He is board certified in internal medicine, nuclear medicine, and endocrinology, and has been on staff at Ochsner since 1974. He is the Immediate Past Chair of the Steering Committee of the National Diabetes Education Program; a member of the Executive Committee of the National Diabetes Education Program, representing the American College of Physicians (ACP); a member of the Board of Trustees of the American College of Endocrinology; a member of the Board of Directors for the Council for the Advancement of Diabetes Research and Education (CADRE); and a member of the National Quality Forum Adult Diabetes Care Consensus Maintenance Committee. Dr. Blonde is a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association and a former Chair of the ADA Professional Practice Committee, which develops practice guidelines for the care of people with diabetes. Dr. Blonde’s clinical and research activities have focused on patients with diabetes mellitus and investigations of new therapies and health care delivery systems for them. He also has published and presented information about the use of computers to enhance medical education and patient care.

Paul Bradford, PA-C

Paul Bradford is an assistant professor in the Philadelphia University Physician Assistant Studies Program. He also treats various pediatric orthopaedic conditions as a physician assistant in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Division of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery. Paul has a special interest in trauma and spine deformity, and enjoys lecturing on various pediatric orthopedic topics at physician assistant conferences. He has earned a Master of Education degree from The University of Notre Dame and a Master of Medical Science degree from Arcadia University.

Patrick Cafferty, PA-C

After a 4-year enlistment in the U.S. Army, Mr. Cafferty completed his undergraduate degree in Microbiology at the University of Maryland and PA training at the University of Kentucky. Mr. Cafferty completed his postgraduate residency in surgery at the Norwalk Hospital/Yale University School of Medicine. Mr. Cafferty served on the faculty for an additional four years. An opportunity to join a private neurosurgical practice in Paducah, Ky. enticed Mr. Cafferty to leave Connecticut and spend the next 20 years there before joining the faculty at Bethel University.
Mr. Cafferty is actively involved in state and national organizations since becoming a PA. He has held numerous positions, including president of the Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants and was actively involved in the legislative effort for prescriptive authority and Medicaid reimbursement. He was named PA of the year, proclaimed a Kentucky Colonel and inducted in the inaugural class for the College’s Hall of Fame at the University of Kentucky’s College of Health Science. He also co-founded the Association of Neurosurgical Physician Assistants in 1991 and worked diligently with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons to recognize PAs. He was recognized in 1993 as the first PA to hold associate membership in that physician organization.
Reimbursement for services provided by PAs has been a significant interest, both from a professional and personal pecuniary perspective. Mr. Cafferty was approached by the AAPA to represent them to the AMA’s newly-formed Health Care Professional Advisory Committee in 1995. This group was formed to provide insight to the AMA from the non-physician perspective and consisted of 10 organizations. Those groups worked together to develop codes to depict their work and strived to take a more active involvement in the CPT process. Eventually, a non-physician was granted a seat on the Editorial Panel for CPT which develops and maintains all of the CPT code structure. Mr. Cafferty is now the third non-physician to hold that seat and co-chair the HCPAC. He has been afforded the opportunity to work at the national level on coding issues that affect all non-physicians, but particularly the interests of PAs.

Beth Choby, MD

Bio not yet available.

Steve Clifton, PA-C

Bio not yet available.

Douglas DiRuggiero, PA-C

Douglas DiRuggiero graduated with Honors from Duke's Physician Assistant program in 1997. After practicing internal medicine medicine for 3 years, he specialized in dermatology. Douglas precepts medical residents and students on a regular basis and has published many articles and photos in dermatology and primary care journals. He and his wife Karen, with their three children, live in Rome, Georgia.

Dave Drum, PA-C

Bio not yet available.

Mary P. Ettari, MPH, PA-C

Mary P. Ettari, MPH, PA-C, is a Physician Assistant practicing in Jensen Beach, Florida, with healthcare experience that crosses clinical, research, and academic areas.

After earning an AS and Registered Nurse Certificate at Lasell Junior College in Newton, Massachusetts, Ms. Ettari received a BA from New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, and a BS in Health Sciences and Physician Assistant Certificate, graduating magna cum laude, from Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. She then earned a Masters in Public Health, Administrative Track, from George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.
She has served as a Subinvestigator for studies involving diabetic foot ulcers, hypogonadism, and acute treatment of migraine in the primary care setting. A winner of the Duke University PA Program Alumni of the Year Award (2002), the Outstanding Service Award, American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) House of Delegates (2001), and the Bob Scully Physician Assistant of the Year Award from the Florida Academy of Physician Assistants (FAPA) (2001), Ms. Ettari is active in a number of professional societies and committees. She is a Past President of the AAPA, of the AAPA Physician Assistant Foundation and the Florida Academy of Physician Assistants. She also serves as a physician assistant expert witness for medical malpractice cases.

Andrew Gregory, MD

Dr. Gregory completed his undergraduate training at Indiana University and his medical training at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He then finished a pediatric residency at the University of Alabama in Birmingham before his fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at the American Sports Medicine Institute. He became part of the Vanderbilt Faculty in August 2001 where he sees pediatric sports medicine patients in the Vanderbilt Sports Medicine Center as well as the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Pediatric Orthopedic Clinic. Dr. Gregory has a particular interest in fracture care, athletic hip injuries, injuries in the school age athlete and sports injury prevention. He coordinates a large high school sports coverage program with athletic trainers.
Dr. Gregory serves on the AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness Executive Committee, the AMSSM Board of Directors as well as the Youth Sports and Health Committee of ACSM. He has worked with the TSSAA and the Nashville PAD Program to implement Emergency Action Plans and AED placement in all high schools in Tennessee. He has participated in research on AED’s, MRSA in athletes, pediatric hip injuries and youth pitchers.

R. Kent Hutson, MD

Bio not yet available.

Alex Jahangir, MD

Alex Jahangir, M.D. is assistant professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute in the Division of Orthopaedic Trauma. A native of Nashville, Dr. Jahangir completed his residence in Orthopaedic Surgery at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn. He then completed an additional year of subspecialty training in Orthopaedic Training at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
Dr. Jahangir received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee in Memphis and a Bachelor of Science degree from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. His clinical interests include the treatment of the polytraumatized patient as well as the care of complicated fractures.
Dr. Jahangir also has an interest in health policy and has had the opportunity to be actively involved in the policy making and implementation process at both the state and federal level, serving most recently as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons health policy fellow. Finally, Dr. Jahangir has been published in multiple medical journals and has presented at national meetings on both clinical and public policy topics.

Jaan Kelly, PA-C

Jaan Williams has been a practicing PA for six years in interventional cardiology. She has years of experience in advanced cholesterol management and therapeutics. Her expertise has been implemented in many forums, including speaking engagements, clinical trials and teaching master’s level PA and ACNP audiences. She is an active member of the National Lipid Association and is board eligible for the national lipid boards.

Tricia Marriott, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA

Tricia Marriott, PA-C, MPAS is a graduate of the Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program. A PA for 24 years, and a Distinguished Fellow member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), Tricia has held many PA leadership roles, including President and Legislative Chair for the Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants (ConnAPA), the AAPA Liaison to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the AAPA Representative on the Hospital Professional Technical Advisory Committee at The Joint Commission. In 2009, Tricia Joined the AAPA staff as Director of Reimbursement Policy. A hospital based PA for 20 years, and a Chief PA for 10, Tricia is also AAPA’s contact for Hospital Practice issues, including medical staff/credentialing and privileging, The Joint Commission, and hospital team practice.

Sudave Mendiratta, MD

Bio not yet available.

Jim Montag, PA-C

Jim is an international speaker for both Medical Device and Pharmaceutical Companies. He has taught advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery techniques and conducted research and development in Cardiovascular Disease.  He is a veteran of the US Air Force, where he served as an Aeromedical Evacuation Technician with Special Operations. He was an Air crew Member with over 3000hrs and a senior parachutist.
He has spent 12 years in Surgery and 7 years in Emergency Medicine. He is currently a Partner in Advanced Community Care seeing patients at Jonesborough Community Care, where they treat everything from coughs and colds to diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. They have the ability to suture, cast, treat women's health issues, and perform physicals. Jim was also appointed the Health Related Boards by Governor Bredesen last year (even though he is a fiscal conservative and tells you how it is whether or not you will like his opinion).

Leslie Norris, DNP, FNP-C

Bio not yet available.

Harry W. Severance, MD

Dr. Severance is a Professor in the Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and a Core Teaching Faculty member in the UT Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program. 
Dr. Severance completed his undergraduate training at Duke University (Sociology) and East Carolina University (Biology) and medical school at Duke University School of Medicine. He then performed a 1-year research fellowship with the Duke Division of Cardiology and the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) before completing a combined Residency Training program in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at East Carolina Brody School of Medicine/Pitt County Memorial Hospital. During his combined residency program, he was elected Chief Resident in Emergency Medicine during his PGY-4 year, and he was the first Resident Physician to complete a combined EM/IM program at ECU.
Dr. Severance has been a member of the clinical and teaching Faculty at University of Mississippi Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, and University of South Florida before coming to University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 2008 to assist, as Core Faculty, in development of an Emergency Medicine Residency Training program in the Department of Surgery, and to develop a Clinical Research business system/clinical trials unit. Dr Severance was also the founder of the State of North Carolina Counter-terrorism/Bio-preparedness program while at Duke, and participates in the Special Operations Combat Medic training program at Fort Bragg, NC. Dr Severance currently has over 52 published research articles and textbook chapters.
Dr. Severance also sits on several advisory boards and panels at the Regional and Federal level. He has been a content advisor for several TV Medical Shows, and has appeared on Medical Shows such as TLC's Untold Stories of the ER. Additionally, he also has two book manuscripts being submitted for publication.

Jay Sizemore, PA-C

Dr. Sizemore received his BS in Psychology from Duke University in Durham, NC.  From there, he earned his MD degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating at the top of his class with inducation into AOA.  He completed an internal medicine internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD.  He successfully finished an Infectious Diseases Fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).  While at UAB he also obtained a Masters of Science in Public Health.  He joined the faculty at UAB as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in 2004 where his research focused on genital herpes.  He moved to Chattanooga in 2005 where he serves as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga, and as the Executive Director of the Chattanooga CARES, a non-profit federally funded HIV/AIDS agency.  He also serves as the Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, TN, Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, GA, and Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, TN.  He is board certified in Internal Medicine ad Infectious Diseases and is a member of the ACP, ISDA, and HIVMA.

Ben Smith, MD

Bio not yet available.

Cheryl Smith

Bio not yet available.

Kurt Smith, MD

Dr. Smith works at Vanderbilt in both the adult and pediatric emergency departments as a full-time faculty member. He has a significant interest in medical education, and is involved in medical high fidelity simulation with students and residents. Originally from Dallas, TX, Dr. Smith graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School in Boston before moving to Cincinnati, OH, to complete residency training at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Emergency Medicine. While in Cincinnati he was actively involved in University Air Care as a flight physician for three years and as a physician member of the pediatric critical care mobile ICU transport team. He is currently an active member of the Kentucky 1 DMAT team as well.

Mary Elizabeth Springston, M.S. Ed., PA-C

Bio not yet available.

Arthur E. Williams, DO

Dr. Arthur E. Williams is from East Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Providence College with a B.S. in Biology in1975 and spent the next three years with the U S Army. Dr. Williams received his D.O. degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982 and completed his internship and residency in Family Medicine in1985 at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. He spent the next 5 years at Ft Campbell, KY where he served as a staff physician, Chief of Family Medicine and later as Chief of Primary and Care. Since then Dr Williams has been in private practice supervising students and partcipating in multiple outreach medical programs. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and board certified in Family Medicine.  He is an active cyclist and outdoor enthusiast.