Physician assistants (PAs) are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. These trusted, rigorously educated and trained health professionals are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medicine. They practice in many settings – hospitals and urgent care centers to outpatient offices and clinics – and often serve as a patient’s primary care provider. Some of the medical and surgical specialties in which they practice include family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, gerontology, and more. Communities flourish when people are healthy — PAs contribute to this ideal by providing personalized and effective care, addressing patient concerns and questions, and empower individuals to take charge of their own health and wellbeing outside the clinic.
Karli Burridge, PA-C, MMS, FOMA, is a board-certified physician assistant and a fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association. Burridge earned her Certificate of Advanced Education in Obesity Medicine in 2017. She is the president of PAs in Obesity Medicine and serves on the board of the Illinois Obesity Society. She is the founder and owner of Gaining Health, which she developed to help providers and organizations start or optimize an obesity management program.Karli Burridge, PA-C, MMS, FOMA is a board-certified Physician Assistant and a Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association. Ms. Burridge earned her Certificate of Advanced Education in Obesity Medicine in 2017. She is the President of PAs in Obesity Medicine, and serves on the Board of the Illinois Obesity Society. She is a co-author of the Obesity Algorithm, and recently released a book on developing an obesity management program offering resources for health care providers who want to incorporate obesity medicine into their clinical practice.
Watch Karli in CMHC’s Clinical Pearls for the Long-Term Management of Obesity: Expert Perspectives and Discussions or register for the Foundations of Cardiometabolic Health Certificate Course –
| Module 2: Obesity Management | Obesity as a Disease section covers:
|
Kim Zuber, PA-C, spends her time traveling and teaching ‘all things kidney’ with over 200 oral presentations, 55 peer-reviewed articles and 7 guest editorships. She graduated from UCSD with a bachelor’s in molecular biology and chemistry, picked up a teaching credential at San Diego State University and taught high school for many years. Deciding that medicine had to be easier than teaching teenagers, Kim attended the St. Louis University PA program. has been involved in the kidney community for the last 25 years and was named Renal Professional of the Year 2014 for her work. She is an AAPA Distinguished Fellow and was selected as Outstanding PA of the Year in 2014
You can also find Kim as faculty of CMHC’s Foundations of Cardiometabolic Health Certificate Course:
| Module 7: Chronic Kidney Disease |
|
Laura Ross, PA-C, CLS, AACC, is a physician assistant and clinical lipid specialist in cardiology at the Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. She attended University of Health Sciences Medical School in New York City, because her father was a physician and her mother was a teacher which “fostered a desire to help others and educate them to be invested in their health.” She is a member of the American College of Cardiology’s Interventional Leadership Council and Prevention Work Group, and is president-elect of the Association of Physician Assistants in Cardiology.
Regarding her practice philosophy, Laura says “one of the most important things I try to do is listen to the patient’s story. I work with a wonderful team of doctors and nurses, and we all work together to meet the needs of the patient. I enjoy building relationships with people so that trust continues to evolve. I enjoy getting to know patients so that we can work together to optimize medical therapy as well as incorporate lifestyle changes to improve outcomes.”
