Oregon PA Wins Teaching Award
Eric Schuman, MPAS, PA-C, an editorial peer reviewer and contributor here at ADVANCE, recently received the 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award from Northwest Permanente Physicians and Surgeons.
As Schuman told us, “What especially pleased me was that this was the first time the physician corporation gave this award to a non-physician, indicating to me that the physician assistant profession has made great strides in its 40 year history.”
Here is the transcript from the awards ceremony, which was presented by Sharon Higgins, MD, the CEO of Northwest Permanente.
After years of service in Family Practice and elsewhere, Eric Schuman has developed an outstanding career in adult and pediatric neurology. Eric is an expert in headaches, and has published scholarly articles in medical journals in this area. His colleagues in Neurology describe him as a talented, really incredible guy.
In addition to being a great clinician, Eric has a reputation as an awesome teacher. Eric is on the faculty of the PA program at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He presents lectures there and at Pacific University. Eric has presented over 100 lectures and papers. He serves annually on the conference committee of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and helps to organize professional meetings.
Eric regularly mentors students in his clinic. If you talk with Eric, you will find that he has a very deliberate strategy for student education. His style is highly engaging. His students love him. They comment that he is passionate about teaching both the science and the art of medicine. They say that he really goes the extra mile for them. They also comment on what wonderful service he provides to his patients, thereby serving as a role model for outstanding patient care and service. This modeling of professionalism is an incredibly important part of training future healthcare workers. Very important indeed.
In addition to his educational activities with peers and with students, Eric has done extensive educational outreach to primary care physicians at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.. In addition to lectures, he has set up a program where primary care doctors spend a half day with him for bedside learning. This is a wonderful model of how specialist expertise can infuse primary care.
The 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award is presented to Eric in recognition of the very many substantial contributions that Eric makes in advancing education for students, colleagues, and peers, as well as his enthusiasm for education and the advancement of the healing professions.