Janelle Bludorn, PA-C, received the 2018 PA of the Year award from the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants at its annual conference.
Bludorn, a clinical assistant professor with the UNC School of Medicine Physician Assistant Studies program, has been in practice for eight years as a PA, specializing in emergency medicine and women’s health.
Bludorn said she is grateful for physicians, PAs, nurses, and other health care professionals who have worked with her along her educational and professional journey.
“The history of the PA profession runs deep in North Carolina,” Bludorn said. “I am so humbled to be recognized for my work in caring for the people of this state and educating future PAs who will practice here.”
The NCAPA recognized Bludorn for her desire to enhance the PA profession through social media, service to the NCAPA as keynote speaker of its inaugural “Yes, I Scan” event and as peer reviewer for Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. The NCAPA also acknowledged her continual support of the UNC PA program student cohorts.
Bludorn’s nomination for the award noted her commitment and contributions to the PA profession. “She is always motivated to learn more do more, teach more, and enhance the PA profession,” the nomination read. “She is an incredibly skilled point-of-care ultrasound utilizer and has incorporated this into education many students and providers at her institution to spread this knowledge far and wide.”
Paul Chelminski, MD, MPH, FACP, and director of the PA program, said the UNC School of Medicine has a long history of attracting faculty who lead and excel in their fields.
“Janelle practices medicine with passion and acumen first and foremost, and she translates these attributes to teaching and scholarship,” Chelminski said. “This award confirms the UNC PA program has the human ingredients to rapidly elevate it to the top academic status nationally.”
Stephen Hooper, associate dean in the UNC School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Allied Health Sciences said he is proud of Bludorn’s accomplishments. “This is an extraordinary honor for a junior faculty member,” Hooper said. “Janelle already has distinguished herself as dedicated to the PA profession, especially the education and support of her students, and I can’t think of a more deserving PA educator for this award. I am excited to see what comes next in her career.”
Bludorn, who received her Master of Science from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, also serves on the board of directors for the Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants and practices in the emergency department at UNC Health Care in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough.
The PA program, which launched its inaugural class in January 2016, is housed in the Department of Allied Health Sciences. The PA program aims to recruit non-traditional students, including veterans, to practice in rural or medically underserved populations of North Carolina.