AAPA's new president: Learn more about a man on a mission

Robert L. Wooten, PA-C, became president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants this past June. I talked with him recently to learn more about his presidential plans and vision for the profession. He is definitely a man on a mission. Here is what I learned. 


Robert is honored and enthusiastic to serve and to help advance the profession. When I asked why he thought he won the election, he answered in one word: "perseverance." He had run for president and lost three times before, but a flurry of support from friends and colleagues encouraged him to try a fourth time. His colleague Gail Curtis, PA-C, said that Robert has a talent for bringing people together. She told him, "You are exactly the kind of leader we need, and yes, you are going to run again." Another colleague, Sue Reich, PA-C, added that he "is passionate, dedicated, and cares about everyone he meets." It's easy to see that Robert is surrounded by people who really believe in him. 


As AAPA president, his major goals are to make sure PAs are in the forefront of health delivery reform, to improve access to care for patients in underserved communities, to ignite national dialogue among PAs and educators on preventive care and public health, and to address diversity issues in our profession. Robert has a four-step process for advancing our profession, which requires grassroots efforts by PAs nationwide. Step 1: Get to know your community, and find out what works and what doesn't. Step 2: Volunteer and develop relationships with local and regional community leaders. Step 3: Create solutions to benefit the people around you. Step 4: Learn about health reform and become an "informed advocate" for our profession. 


I asked what advice he had for PAs who find the health reform discussion and resultant political turmoil confusing and overwhelming. He said that despite those feelings, we cannot afford to be idle. "We just cannot blow this opportunity to change the way we care for our country. Every PA has to be on duty and willing to own it—each of us has to step up and be the voice of our profession wherever it counts." 


Robert encouraged PA training programs to rethink how we prepare graduates to manage patients with chronic illness, especially when preventive approaches might pay big dividends for public health. Patients live longer than they used to but with more chronic illnesses. We have all witnessed the incredible demands these illnesses make on our system. The CDC estimates that health care costs for chronic disease treatment account for more than 75% of national health expenditures. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services project health care spending for categories within the National Health Expenditure Accounts each year as a share of gross domestic product; their projection is 19.6% by 2019. Robert believes that more attention to nutrition, exercise, and health literacy will lead to better outcomes. 


The theme of partnerships emerged frequently during our discussion, with particular attention on connecting the PA profession with large corporations, employers, hospital and medical center executives, and professional societies to create workforce solutions while at the same time tearing down barriers to career development for PAs. We talked about ways that PAs could help address access to care issues in response to physician shortages. The Council on Graduate Medical Education projects a shortage of 95,000 physicians by 2020. The American Academy of Family Physicians projects a shortage of 40,000 family physicians by 2020. Wherever the shortage occurs, Robert is confident that PAs are part of the solution. He said the Academy must keep partnering with major stakeholders and build stronger coalitions to support workforce strategies that involve PAs. He also emphasized that this work is no less important than local efforts by PAs across the country, where action is critically needed to stimulate community-based approaches to patient care and workforce problems. He is passionate about local solutions which put communities back in charge of their own future. He clearly believes that PAs can provide the type of leadership needed to solve our health care challenges—leadership that he says begins the moment you volunteer and get involved. 


As Robert begins his presidential term, I also spoke to our immediate past president, Patrick E. Killeen, MS, PA-C. Patrick says Robert is "one of the most passionate, dynamic individuals I've ever met, with a personal story that speaks to the heart of our profession." Patrick has shared advice and ideas with his successor, including those regarding what he sees as a critical area of growth for AAPA: establishing stronger relationships with local and regional leaders across the country, particularly in specialty organizations, third party systems, and states where advocacy for the profession is not strong enough. Patrick was proud to see an infusion of talent and energy into recent advocacy efforts at CORE and Capitol Hill Day, and he encouraged Robert to expand these initiatives. Patrick tells me he will be taking what he learned during his term as president back home, where he will work to advance the profession in his own community. I think both Robert and Patrick would be pleased if we all did the same thing. JAAPA