Article by Physician Assistant Johnna Tanner Published in PA Professional Magazine.
PA Professional, a national trade magazine for physician assistants, has published an article by Johnna Tanner, PA-C, academic coordinator for Physician Assistant Studies in the College of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Tanner’s article, “Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Awareness,” was featured in the June/July issue. Published by The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), PA Professional is distributed 11 times a year to more than 44,000 AAPA members located across the United States.
According to several definitions, pediatric abusive head trauma (formally known as shaken baby syndrome) occurs when a baby is violently shaken in a repetitive manner. Injuries that could occur include internal bleeding, mental retardation and death.
“This publication sends a powerful message that impacts our new developing Physician Assistant (PA) Program on several levels,” said Catherine Gemmiti, MPAS, PA-C, chair and program director in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at UTHSC. “It is about public health advocacy and is, therefore, in direct alignment with the collective mission of UTHSC and its partner institutions — that of improving human health. It also speaks to a strong commitment to community service by the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants and by the PA profession as a whole. I am proud to have accomplished faculty such as Johnna to help deliver the curriculum and lead by example so that our graduates will indeed become partners in the future of medicine.”
Tanner is currently serving as president of the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants. She has been actively involved in this organization for many years, and has previously served as a student delegate and vice president. Her work with the academy demonstrates her commitment to maintain the friendly practice environment for which Tennessee is known.
The academy has been politically active for a number or years, and is known for assisting its members when issues arise concerning licensure, reimbursement and employment. Tanner believes the academy should exist not just as a service to members, but also to society as a whole, so she organized a public service initiative at the academy. It is currently establishing a public health education campaign under Tanner’s leadership.
Tanner will be presenting a lecture on public health education at the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistant’s Fall Fest conference in October. As part of her official duties as the academy’s president, she plans to share this information with physician assistant programs around the state during visits this fall.
Johnna Tanner, PA-C, academic coordinator, Physician Assistant Studies, College of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center