AASPA Member of the Month

AASPA members are essential to achieving our mission of providing high-quality patient care. Each month, we recognize a Member of the Month to help display the accomplishments of our members, and to encourage PAs to network with one another. These member features are profiled in our monthly membership newsletters, social media channels, and on the AASPA website.

Please be sure to read about our March Member of the Month, Major Marc Latta, DHSc, MS, PA! 

If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague to be the next Member of the Month, please complete this submission form.

Maj Marc Latta, DHSc, MS, PA This month we recognize AASPA member, Dr. Marc T. Latta. He is dedicated to restoring a major organ responsible for blood flow and a person’s feelings: the heart. He heals the physical ones through cardiac care and heals the spiritual ones through his expertise in social traumatology and healthcare equity, social justice, and policy reform required for developing healthy communities. Dr. Latta is a nationally certified and residency-trained physician assistant specializing in Critical Care/Cardiac Surgery at Christiana Care Hospital in Newark, DE. He also serves in the United States Armed Forces as an Aviation PA at the rank of Major in the Delaware Army National Guard. He is attached to the Joint Force Headquarters Medical Command and supports the 126th /238th Aviation Regiment in aeromedical care and troop health maintenance.  Dr. Latta has more than 25 years of experience in the field of medicine and academia. He earned his Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. He is a biological sciences graduate of North Carolina State University, and holds dual master’s degrees from Duke University: the Nicholas School of the Environment, focusing on biohazard science/infectious disease epidemiology, and the Physician Assistant Program. He completed his general surgery residency training at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY. He has served as Clinical Coordinator for Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Master of Physician Assistant program and Didactic Education Director for Meharry Medical College Physician Assistant Sciences program.  Dr. Latta is a member of several professional associations, including the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants, and the Association of Physician Assistants in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. His passion is to heal the body and the spirit. In his leisure time, Latta enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons; he’s an avid cyclist and enjoys cooking, and community social action endeavors with his beloved Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

  Adam Buck, AASPA Student representative , PA-s

Adam Buck is 2nd year PA student attending The University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. He graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and Policy, and most recently from Florida Atlantic University with a Certificate in Biomedical Sciences. His background includes working as a medical assistant and scribe in cardiac electrophysiology and interventional cardiology.

Adam has been involved with the AASPA since 2019 and is passionate about assisting and uplifting pre-PAs as well as his fellow students to achieve their goals. He is also enthusiastic about personal growth and enjoys reading, lifting weights, and training MMA in his free time. He remains active in his school’s Surgical Physician Assistant Club, and following graduation aspires to attend a surgical PA fellowship for pediatric surgery.

 Brittany Douglas, AASPA assistant Student representative

 Paige andrews, AASPA assistant Student representative

 brennon taylor, AASPA assistant Student representative

 Aaron pribil, AASPA assistant Student representative

Margaret Holland, AASPA President, MPAS, PA-C

Margaret Holland is a graduate of the George Washington University Physician Assistant (PA) Program and has been involved with AASPA since 2015. She is a dedicated Surgical PA with more than 11 years of healthcare experience including a nursing background in the field of pediatric cardiology. She currently practices as a surgical PA at Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts, in the specialty area of pediatric congenital cardiac surgery. Prior to this, she spent several years in the Northern Virginia area working in adult cardiothoracic and vascular surgery. She is passionate about working with AASPA's students and PAs, and desires to see them fulfill their dreams in healthcare. As former Director of Education, she has taught workshops and the Pre-PA/PA Student track for several years as well as being involved with CME development and the publication of AASPA's periodical Sutureline. As current President-Elect, she remains involved in these activities and also is a PA representative for the Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety (CSPS) which influences practices of operating rooms across the US.  In addition to being a PA, she is a strong advocate for merging medicine and art, using classical ballet training for current active performing, teaching, and choreography. 

Nadya Dimitrov, Dpm, PA-C, DFAAPA

This month we recognize AASPA member Nadya Dimitrov, DPM, PA-C. She is Clinical Associate Professor in the PA program oof the School of Health Professions at Stony Brook University (SBU) and Assistant Director of the PA Post-Professional Masters program (PPMP). She has over forty years of combined clinical experience as a PA and podiatric physician. As a member of the NYSSPA, Dr. Dimitrov serves as the PA representative on the NYS MOLST Team, and is a co-chair of their Education and Training committee. She is also a member of the SBU Medical Center Institutional Ethics Committee. In addition, she is Affiliate Faculty in the Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care at CSU San Marcos, CA, and course architect of the Physician Assistant (and APP) Certificate in Palliative and Serious Illness Care.

Her research and publications have been in both clinical orthopedic and educational arenas, and she has presented at multiple educational and clinical conferences. Her current scholarship is focused on palliative and serious illness patient management training, telehealth/telemedicine and interprofessional education. She is co-editor of the 2021 textbook by Oxford University Press entitled “Palliative and Serious Illness Patient Management for Physician Assistants”. 

syuzanna leigh, PA-s

Veronica Victoria, DMSC, PA-C

Christian Bridges, PA-C This month we recognize AASPA member Christian Bridges PA-C, she has been heavily involved in education since her graduation from UTMB. She has participated in the UTMB Surgical Skills bootcamp and has served as mentor for new graduates, helping new PAs build successful careers and operate at the top scope of practice. After becoming a specialty PA in breast surgical oncology, she co-founded a novel breast surgery rotation for nation-wide PA students. It is hosted in one of our Houston-area Locations (League City TX) as well as our main campus in the Texas Medical Center. Most breast surgery electives are based on experiential learning in breast surgery clinic and in the OR. Christian designed a multidisciplinary curriculum that exposes students to breast imaging, body imaging, medical oncology, radiation oncology and plastic surgery. Students have rated this rotation highly and have cited the impact of her teaching and mentorship. She is also involved in the development of a novel app that will be used in our breast surgical oncology department for onboarding new Advanced Practice Providers. Before the pandemic, Christian and her husband and three children became interested in homesteading and sustainable, regenerative farming. They grow their own food, maintain chickens, and have built a barn by hand.

Gerald Simons, PA-C This month we recognize AASPA member Gerald “Jerry” Simons, PA-C. Jerry has a long history of serving on the AASPA BOD in multiple positions, including holding the presidency twice! He is a recipient of the prestigious John W. Kirklin award (1998), and is a frequent and beloved speaker at both the AASPA and AAPA annual CME conferences. Jerry has helped develop many of our hands-on-skills workshops over the years, but he is best known for developing and teaching suturing skills to thousands of PA students and graduates across the country, even pioneering the Pre-PA seminar at AASPA that has provided so many undergraduate students with guidance for their PA journey.  Jerry’s clinical experience is in general and vascular surgery and he is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at Stony Brook University in New York. His clinical and presenting interests focus on the gut microbiome, but Jerry has also presented on the role of hyperbaric medicine in chronic disease and wound healing.

Kristen Lindvall, PA-C This month we recognize AASPA member Kristen Lindvall, PA-C. Kristen has been a member of the AASPA for several years and she has proven herself to be an engaging speaker and active AASPA member. You may have seen some of her webinars and presentations at our conferences in the past. Kristen is a graduate of the Augsburg University Program of Physician Studies. She is a surgical Physician Assistant with extensive experience in abdominal wall management. She is a founding member of St. Paul Minnesota Region Hospital's Complex Abdominal Reconstructive Service, emphasizing the team approach to difficult patient management. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Augsburg University PA Program and course director of Pathophysiology and Clinical Medicine. Her other interests include oncologic and robotic surgery, focusing on PA’s functioning at their highest level. She is also passionate about medicine in the developing world and travels to Haiti assisting in surgical procedures. In her free time, Kristen enjoys spending time in nature with her husband and Vizsla dog.

Tiffany Worthington, DMSc, PA-C

Tiffany Worthington is a Cardiovascular Surgery Physician Assistant at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. She received a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at Western University of Health Sciences. She was selected for Leadership Fellow with the Association of PAs in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery and recently earned a Doctorate of Medical Science degree (DMSc) at University of Lynchburg. 

To learn more about Tiffany, please read here.