Getting Into Your Genes: Why Genetics Matters to Your Patients

Session 1 of the Genetics and Genomics Bundle
Date: Thursday, March 3, 7 – 8:30 p.m. ET

This webinar provides an overview of the NIH’s All of Us Research Program and its resources, as well as a genetics update for PAs and an examination of the value of genetics in medicine and in addressing health disparities. In addition, it features a panel discussion and Q&A with representatives from All of Us community partners, including insights on their constituents’ experience with the program and more.

All of Us is a longitudinal effort to gather health data from one million or more people living in the United States to accelerate research and improve health. The program is partnering with participants to build a diverse database that will help researchers better understand how genetics, environmental factors, and life circumstances affect health outcomes.

The Genetics and Genomics Bundle is a collaboration between AAPA, the African Heritage PA Caucus, the LBGT PA Caucus, PAs for Latino Health, and the Society of PAs in Genetics and Genomics.

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Speakers

Click on a name to learn more about the speaker.

Director, Health Equity Partnerships and DE&I Initiatives, AAPA

Andrea Lowe, MBA, MHA, PA-C

Senior Vice President, Venn Strategies

Shanta Whitaker, PhD, MPH

President & Founder, Society of PAs in Genetics/Genomics

Nguyen H. Park, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA

Health Programs Coordinator, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

Jennifer Reyes

NIH All of Us Research Ambassador

Joshua J. Matacotta, PsyD, CAHIMS

Andrea Lowe, MBA, MHA, PA-C

Andrea Lowe is Director, Health Equity Partnerships and DE&I Initiatives for AAPA and the PA Foundation. She graduated from Pace University – Lenox Hill PA program in 2001, obtained her MHA in 2007 and completed her MBA in 2021 with an additional certification in Health Care Quality both from George Washington University. She also has certification in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University this summer. She has more than 20 years of experience as an Emergency Medicine PA along with over 10 years’ experience as an administrative leader. She served as Vice President of Operations and Director of Advanced Practice Clinicians for one of the largest healthcare organizations in Texas. Andrea sits on the Advisory Board of the New York Tri-State Diversity Council and the Executive Board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE).

Shanta Whitaker, PhD, MPH

Inspired by a desire to help and serve the most vulnerable, Dr. Shanta Whitaker left the laboratory bench and academia to pursue a career in public health policy. She is currently a senior vice president in the health policy group at Venn Strategies, a government affairs firm in Washington, DC. Shanta joined Venn from her position at LMI as a Health Policy Consultant to agencies including CMS, where she served as a subject matter expert on Medicare and Medicaid Shared Savings Programs and worked extensively with Accountable Care Organizations. Shanta has also been a senior health disparities analyst for the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care, has served as an editor for American Journal Experts, and a post-doctoral fellow with the North Carolina State Public Health Laboratory. Shanta received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Union University, a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a doctorate in microbiology from Yale University.

Nguyen H. Park, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA

Nguyen Park, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA, is a proud graduate from the Wayne State University PA program, whose mission is serving the urban underserved. As an immigrant and the first in her family to graduate from college, she was thrilled to learn about the PA profession, which is a perfect fit for someone with boundless amounts of curiosity who loves caring for people and wants to make a difference. Because of this curiosity, she has worked in a variety of medical fields, including cardiology, nephrology, and environmental medicine. She has also taught pediatrics at the University of New Mexico’s PA program while serving as the lead PA for the New Mexico VA Healthcare System, where she was also the lead clinician for the Special Environmental Health Registry. Prior to this, she was a clinical assistant professor at WSU’s PA program, while working in cardiology. Despite the variety of fields she has worked in, her first love is genetics. An advocate for genetics education for PAs and for patients, co-author of the revised PA genomic competencies, and president and founder of the Society of PAs in Genetics/Genomics, she is also the first PA chosen for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Genomic Medicine Program Management Fellowship. In addition, she is working on her DMSc and taking a functional nutrition class. In her spare time, she enjoys baking bread and hiking with her husband, kids and retired bomb dog.

Jennifer Reyes

Ms. Reyes is the Health Programs Coordinator for League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest and largest grassroots Latino civil rights organization in the United States. In 2019, she was one of three Education and Youth Programs interns for LULAC. She joined LULAC in June 2021. She oversees the health programs surrounding obesity, tobacco-free youth, vaccine information and the All of Us Research Program. As an undergraduate student, she was involved in advocacy student groups on campus focused on advocating for immigrant rights. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic she has been an active member in a local mutual aid group, Audelia Community Response Team, that is dedicated to serving mixed-status and at-risk families in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County. She managed the hotline and would take down the information of families seeking food and other essential goods (diapers, medicine, mask, etc) in her community. Furthermore, she managed a team of volunteers to book vaccination appointments for Spanish-speaking families for the pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Langley Park and Silver Spring (communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19). She also managed a team of volunteers on site at the clinic to help assist families in registering and translating consent forms. She is dedicated to advocating for health justice and racial equity issues.

Joshua J. Matacotta, PsyD, CAHIMS

Dr. Matacotta trained as a clinical psychologist with an emphasis in behavioral medicine & health psychology. He has worked in community mental health, university student health centers, hospitals, and public schools. Currently, he is the Assistant Dean of Assessment & Strategic Initiatives and Assistant Professor in the College of Health Sciences at Western University of Health Sciences. He also teaches part-time in the psychology department of Pasadena City College. Professional service includes serving on the Board of Directors at IBHRI and serving as a scientific reviewer on the NIH Division of AIDS, Behavioral and Population Sciences RPHB 12 and 16 study sections.