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OUR VISION

The Academy of Physician Associates in Cardiology (APAC) is a professional organization for PAs who practice in Cardiology. We promote and advocate for increased utilization of PAs to provide high quality, cost-effective care to patients with cardiovascular disease.

WHAT WE DO

EDUCATION

NETWORKING​

ADVOCACY​

OUR COMMUNITY

The Academy of Physician Associates in Cardiology consists of Physician Associates at all levels of their professional careers, ranging from PA students and clinically practicing PAs, to those working in academia and beyond.

Board Of Directors

APAC's Board of Directors is comprised of experienced Physician Associates and dedicated leaders in the field of cardiology, who are committed to advancing the role of PAs in cardiovascular care and improving the lives of their patients through education, advocacy, and collaboration.

Laura Ross, PA-C, AACC, CLS, DipACLM

President

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Viet Le, DMSc, PA-C, FACC, FAHA

Immediate Past President & Social Media Chair

 

Kevin Niles, PA-C
Past President

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Amy Simone, PA-C, FACC

Past President

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Brian Rose, PA-C, MPH, AACC

Treasurer

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Erin Pardee, MPAS, PA-C

Director of Scientific Content

 

Lauren Eyadiel, PA-C, HF-Cert, CCC-SLP, FHFSA
Heart Failure Committee Co-Chair
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Greg Duck, PA-C, HF-Cert

Heart Failure Committee Co-Chair

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Robert R. Ross, PA-C

Vascular Medicine Committee Chair

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John Giacona, PhD, PA-C, CHC

Preventive Cardiology Committee Chair​​

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Jennifer Carlquist, PA-C, ER-CAQ

Electrophysiology Committee Co-Chair

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Meghna Patel, MS, PA-C

Electrophysiology Committee Co-Chair

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Camille J. Dyer, DMSc, PA-C, AACC, DFAAPA

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair​

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Kimberly Berggren, PA-C

Structural Heart Disease Committee Chair

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Neal Vogel, MS

Student Committee Chair

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Laura Ross, PA-C, AACC, CLS, DipACLM
APAC President
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Laura Ross is the President of APAC. She has been a cardiology Physician Associate since 2004, after graduating from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, IL. She currently works at the Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center near Minneapolis, MN where she has gained experience in a variety of cardiac specialties through opportunities to provide patient care in numerous settings, including inpatient hospital care, suburban clinics, and rural sites. A few of Laura's favorite specialties include Prevention, Women’s Health, and CAD, and she is a certified Clinical Lipid Specialist, recently starting a Plant Forward cardiology clinic program.

 

Laura has had the honor of representing PAs on the ACC Interventional Leadership Council and has had opportunities to advocate for patients "on the hill" during legislative days. In addition to her clinical and leadership roles, Laura shares her cardiac expertise by contributing to journals and presenting at conferences on a wide array of cardiology topics. In her down time, she enjoys spending time with her 3 little girls and 2 rescue dogs.

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Viet Le, DMSc, PA-C, FACC, FAHA
Immediate Past President & Social Media Chair
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Viet obtained a BS in Exercise Science/Athletic Training in 2001 from the University of Utah and obtained a Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) in 2004 from the University of Utah School of Medicine. He has practiced 7 years in Occupational Medicine, 8 years in Cardiology, and since 2012, has held the position as Cardiovascular Scientist with the Intermountain Heart Institute Cardiology Research. His primary focus is cardiovascular research, collaborating across multiple cardiac sub-specialties on a vast array of trials and studies, all while continuing to see patients in a general cardiology practice. In addition, Viet is part time faculty at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions PA program.

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Kevin Niles, PA-C
Past President
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Kevin received his BS in Physician Assistant studies at New York Institute of Technology and completed his MS in Physician Assistant studies at Touro School of Health Science. Kevin worked as the Chief Physician Assistant for the Cardiothoracic Surgery department at Mount Sinai Hospital under the leadership of David Adams for 10 years. Since then, Kevin has been serving as the Chief Physician Assistant at Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island, providing a mix of clinical and administrative functions. In addition to these duties, Kevin is an Active adjunct faculty for Touro School of Health where he teaches cardiology and Critical care.

 

Prior to his involvement with APAC, Kevin served on the CME committee for APACVS (Association of PAs in Cardiovascular Surgery) and was Co-Chair of the APACVS national CME conference for 2015 and 2016. Kevin brings a wealth of experience with him to APAC where he has been instrumental in coordinating the 2016 and 2019 APAC CME annual meeting.

 

Kevin believes strongly in the mission to improve patient access to health care through advocacy and education for the PA profession. Kevin served as treasurer of APAC for 2015/2016 and president Elect from 2017-2020.

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Amy Simone, PA-C, FACC
Past President​ 

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Amy Simone is a Physician Associate who received her training in Boston, MA at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She is entering her 16th year of practice as a PA, and has spent over a decade in the Structural Heart arena. She was the Structural Heart and Valve Coordinator at Emory University Midtown Hospital for over 6 years before transitioning to the Piedmont Heart Institute as the Director of the Marcus Heart Valve Center in 2017.

 

She is a Past President of the Academy of Physician Associates in Cardiology (APAC) and also served as APAC's Structural Heart Disease Chair in 2022. She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and serves on the ACC Cardiovascular Team Section Leadership Council, the ACC Physician Assistant Committee and the ACC Georgia Chapter Program Committee. In 2019, she co-published a textbook entitled Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Program Development – A Guide for the Heart Team. She is passionate about patient advocacy and experience, program optimization, and addressing disparities in care. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Michael and daughter Ivy.

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Brian Rose, PA-C, MPH, AACC
Treasurer​

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Brian is a cardiovascular Physician Associate in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and has been a part of a large, private cardiovascular group for most of the last 5 years. His focus is primarily on general cardiology, including cardiovascular risk reduction and lipidology, but has dedicated a majority of his time to PAD and management of critical limb ischemia (CLI), providing him many opportunities to collaborate and gain experience across a variety of cardiac sub-specialties.

 

In addition to being a PA, Brian still participates in clinical research and currently serves as an Assistant Professor for the Methodist University PA Program. He is married to his wife Shannon of 5 years. They have a rescue dog named Murphy. In his spare time, Brian enjoys tennis, golf, wine, and traveling.

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Erin Pardee, MPAS, PA-C
Director of Scientific Content​

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Erin Pardee earned her BS in Microbiology at Oklahoma State University. She has always had a passion for medicine and went on to graduate from Shenandoah University with her MS in Physician Assistant Studies in 2014. She started her PA career working in a busy Emergency Department and worked there for several years before moving to Australia. Living in Australia was an amazing experience and she enjoyed working for the Department of State at the Embassy Health Unit.

 

She returned to the United States after their tour and started working at a busy Electrophysiology practice, caring for patients in the outpatient setting and acting as a sub-investigator on clinical trials. Prior to being appointed as APAC's Director of Scientific Content, Erin served as the Electrophysiology Chair. She lives in California with her husband and 2 daughters and enjoys hiking and exploring the world.

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Lauren Eyadiel, PA-C, HF-Cert, CCC-SLP, FHFSA
Heart Failure Committee Co-Chair​

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Lauren received her BA in Communication Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and went on to obtain a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University. After practicing as a speech-language pathologist, her curiosity was piqued for the management of comprehensive patient care. She then attended PA school at Wake Forest University. Following graduation, she spent a year practicing in critical care before moving on to her true passion, advanced heart failure.

 

She currently works at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Advanced Heart Failure, Heart Transplant, and Mechanical Circulatory Support. In addition to clinical practice, Lauren enjoys clinical research and runs a course similar to ACLS for Heart Failure – The Acute Heart Failure Advanced Life Support Course. This is the only course of its kind in the United States and was adapted from a similar course created by Brazilian Cardiologists, which is based on guideline management of acute heart failure. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Cyril and their two kids – Luke, their human baby, and Boomer, their Irish Doodle.

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Greg Duck, PA-C, HF-Cert
Heart Failure Committee Co-Chair

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Greg has worked in cardiology as a PA for 7 years where he serves the underserved populations in Fort Worth, Texas. He works primarily with congestive heart failure patients and is passionate about educating and coaching his patients about their disease. He also functions in an administrative role as an APP Director for his group, where he helps recruit, train and develop APP providers and leaders for many different specialties. He earned his Bachelors in Biology from Texas Tech University and his MPAS from The University of North Texas Health Science Center. He is married to his wife who is also a PA-C and currently lives in Aledo, Texas.

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Robert R. Ross, PA-C
Vascular Medicine Committee Chair​

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Robert Ross has performed or supervised more than 70,000 lower extremity physiologic ultrasound studies (including ABI, Segmental Pressures, Exercise Pre / Post- ABI) since 1993.

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Robert brings a wealth of experience to APAC with the following career highlights: 

  • Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) Member

  • American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Member

  • American College of Cardiology (ACC) Member

  • CLI Global Society Member

  • Past President MiPAF Michigan Physician Assistant Foundation

  • Past President and Member of the Michigan Academy of Physician Assistants (MAPA)

  • Past Affiliate Professor University of Detroit Mercy Physician Assistant Program

  • Indiana University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program

  • TRIAD DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGIES, L.L.C. (I.D.T.F.) Michigan and Ohio Since 2003

  • President-Clinical Affairs, Medical Education and Research Development

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John Giacona, PhD, PA-C, CHC
Preventive Cardiology Committee Chair​ 

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John earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017, and then earned his Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree from the UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2021 with local and national honors (Pi Alpha National Honor Society and Alpha Eta Inc. Honor Society).

 

Currently, John works as a PA in the Department of Internal Medicine - Division of Cardiology at the Clinical Heart and Vascular Center at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. He practices in the field of clinical hypertension and earned his Ph.D. in Applied Clinical Research in the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions. Overall, his clinical and translational research interests include the neural control of blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein structure and function, and the influence of nutrition and various hormones on the autonomic control of blood pressure and vascular function in humans. Additionally, John has participated in several national and international oral and poster presentations on clinical hypertension.

 

Along with APAC, John is a member of several professional organizations including the American Academy of Physician Associates, the Texas Academy of Physician Associates, the American College of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association.

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Jennifer Carlquist, PA-C, ER-CAQ
Electrophysiology Committee Co-Chair
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Jennifer has been a practicing PA for 17 years, working in both inpatient and outpatient cardiology, as well as urgent care and the emergency department. Prior to being a PA, she was a paramedic for 13 years. Jennifer is also a return cardiology and emergency medicine speaker at multiple PA and NP conferences across the country, including AAPA, CAPA, CAPP, and NCAPA, to name a few.


Jennifer hosts a free monthly EKG series for providers of all levels to help them gain confidence at reading 12 lead EKGs. In addition, she teaches High-Risk EKG classes 3 times per year for the employees of Vituity Hospital System and runs a new cardiology provider mentorship program with Erin Li, a cardiology NP-C.


She has been a featured artist in the fundraiser and exhibit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 2023 where her heart art was auctioned to help pay for the medical bills of patients that could not afford them. Jennifer's heart art will be featured in the UK in a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Exhibition to promote awareness. Jennifer previously served on the California PA Board for 7 years before moving to Georgia to move into inpatient cardiology.

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Meghna Patel, MS, PA-C
Electrophysiology Committee Co-Chair

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Meghna has been a practicing PA for 7 years, working in both outpatient Cardiac Electrophysiology and Advanced Heart Failure management. During her 7 years of practice in Electrophysiology, Meghna developed a device clinic at her medical group and successfully manages 1500 device patients.

 

Meghna joined academia in PA Education 4 years ago and is currently serving as an Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director of the Department of PA Education at Western University of Health Sciences.

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Camille J. Dyer, DMSc, PA-C, AACC, DFAAPA
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair

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Camille obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychology from the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. She then pursued a Master of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in Piscataway, New Jersey. Most recently, she received her Doctor of Medical Science degree from the University of Lynchburg in August of 2024. She has practiced inpatient Cardiovascular Medicine in Southeast Florida with the Medical Specialists of Palm Beaches Cardiology for 4.5 years. However, most of her career has been spent in central New Jersey with New Brunswick Cardiology Group, with privileges at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and St. Peter’s University of Hospital.


She has been actively engaged in the PA profession since her days as a student. Her involvement includes serving as a member of NJSSPA, the PA Committee for ACC, APAC, NMA, T. LeRoy Jefferson Medical Society (a CO of NMA), AAPA’s liaison to NMA 2016-2020, Advisory Committee for AAPA’s Pathways Program, a delegate in AAPA’s House of Delegates, which is the policy-making body for the profession, and President of the African Heritage PA Caucus from 2017-2022. On more than one occasion, she has lobbied on Capitol Hill with NJ’s Chapter of ACC.

 

Community service projects, such as AHPAC’s Project Access, where students at all grade levels are educated on the PA Profession are very important to her. She loves spending time with her family, traveling, sports, and photography. Cardiovascular medicine is an exciting, continuously evolving field of medicine, and she is grateful for the opportunity to advocate for optimal, evidence-based cardiovascular health and the PA profession.

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Kimberly Berggren, PA-C
Structural Heart Disease Committee Chair

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Kimberly graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2004 with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies. After graduating, she began her PA career in interventional cardiology, and cardiovascular disease has been her passion ever since. As a military spouse, she has traveled around the world with her husband and gained experience as a PA in emergency medicine, hospital medicine, and internal medicine.

 

Currently, Kimberly has settled in the Florida panhandle and works in cardiac electrophysiology at Okaloosa Heart and Vascular Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  She helped develop the ED2EP program to facilitate early discharge from the emergency department to electrophysiology for patients with atrial flutter and SVT, in order to decrease admissions and hospital length of stay. Kimberly also developed protocols for same-day discharge of ablations, manages remote monitoring and implantable devices, and is a Coordinator for the Watchman Program. She is expected to graduate with her DMSc degree in December of this year, with an emphasis in advanced clinical practice in cardiac electrophysiology.

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Neal Vogel, MS
Student Committee Chair​

 

Neal Vogel is a current first year PA student at the University of Pittsburgh. His desire to become a PA stemmed from his interactions with the healthcare team, and specifically the PA, who cared for his late cousin. Additionally, his experience working in translational cardiovascular research inspired him to increase access to equitable healthcare for patients in need of cardiac interventions.

 

Prior to PA school, he earned his master’s in Medical Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University of Florida where he was involved in cardiovascular research. His interest in being a student representative at APAC stems from his passion for cardiology. His love for the field drives him to be the point of contact for other students and members who are interested in cardiovascular disease, networking, and inter-professional collaboration.

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