1970s
R. Dane Looman (’73)
After graduating from the Duke PA Program, Looman became one of the first three PAs sworn into the Coast Guard as a Warrant Officers, following 17 years in the U.S. Army that included service in a MASH-type unit in Vietnam. His Coast Guard career included assignments at Governors Island, New York, and missions on Polar Icebreakers as Medical Officer, where he once managed a potential botulism outbreak while enroute to Antarctica. He retired in 1989, later worked 10 years in occupational medicine after certification through the University of Cincinnati, and now lives on Puget Sound, Washington. He sends best wishes to current students and encourages them to respect their patients and give them their best attention.
Malcolm (Greg) Anderson (’75)
Anderson writes that retirement (since 2008) has been good, but his wife Jane (retired RN) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about 6 years. ago. After a hip fracture in November, she is in rehab with “slow progression toward getting back home hopefully soon.”
James Trenner (’75)
Writes that he is happily retired (5/2017) after practicing primary care for 42 years. Coming up on 57 years of marriage to his wife, Kathi, (12/14/68). He is still an avid Duke Basketball and Football fan.
Ralph Lloyd (’75)
Lloyd retired in 2013. He spent the last 15 years at the VA in Baltimore in gastroenterology.
Jim Hill (’76)
Hill clinically retired in 2018, and in retirement served as the lead mentor for the Duke PA Veterans Mentoring Project; and the PA Consultant to Dr Jean Wright, CEO of the COPD Foundation. He is now serving as the co-chair of the Community Advisory Committee for the PA Program for the new Elon University-Charlotte Campus, which will be Charlotte's very first PA program."Serving as a Captain in the US Marine Corps (1970-78) and as a clinically practicing Duke PA for 42 years are my two legacies."
Bruce Blair (’78)
Blair retired 12/2022 and is doing volunteer work, political activism, woodworking, and wood sculpture.
Leonard Kelly (’79)
Retired Orthopedic PA-C '05; He has been discipling[AS1] men for Christ in Pensacola since that time.
1980s
Tom Cureton (’80)
Tom recently returned from a medical mission to Peru doing spine surgery in Lima, Trujillo and Cusco. His practice is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and he has his sights set on retirement in the next one-two years.
Justine Strand de Oliveira (’81)
Oliveira has been living in Portugal since 2019, after two years in London to help establish a new PA Program. He has published a novel and publishes a weekly Substack: justinestrand.substack.com.
Perry Cook (’82)
Cook went back to medical school at Duke and became a radiologist practicing in the wilds of Wyoming. Perry is now retired and living the “good life” on her Wyoming ranch with sheep, cattle, 30 peacocks, dogs, cats, horses and one BLM rescue burro. Her husband, Richard, died of early onset Alzheimer's. She has two kids in medicine.
Dan Castenson (’84)
Retired 2022.
John Lohnes (’86)
He retired from clinical practice in orthopedic surgery. Lohnes is currently a part-time instructor in Duke School of Medicine/PAP and developing curriculum on climate and health for all Duke health professional students.
James H Carter Jr. (’86)
Carter retired after 38 years with Duke Neurosurgery on March 3, 2025.
Craig Robinson (’86)
Robinson has fully retired both civilian and military. He moved to Arizona and lives in a largely retired community. He’s a volunteer leader with Team Rubicon doing humanitarian, disaster response. and mitigation work.
He writes, “Attending the Duke PA program most definitely changed my life and set my family on a wonderful path of opportunity and success.”
Joel Wesley Thompson (’87)
Wesley Thompson has practiced medicine for more than 39 years and opened Amity Medical Group in Charlotte, North Carolina, now with six locations. He now is a medical consultant on HIV Prevention for the state of North Carolina in the DHHS CDB DPH. He is a board-certified physician assistant and the first physician assistant to be certified as an HIV Specialist in the state of North Carolina and one of the first twenty in the United States. He has co-investigated over 60 clinical trials for new medications to treat HIV. He lectures extensively locally, statewide, and nationally. He is the co-chair of the Southeast Chapter of American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), serves on the North Carolina HMAP provider committee, and is the co-chair of the Getting to Zero and PrEP Initiative for Mecklenburg County. He is currently involved in community research for vulnerable populations and PrEP. He has served on numerous ASO boards and county and state committees. He spent March 2023 as a medical consultant for Safari Doctors in Kenya, travelling to remote outposts providing care and education. Thompson has received many accolades for his work in HIV/AIDS, including in 2021 the outstanding top PA award in Infectious Diseases from POCN.
Craig Wallace (’88)
After 37 1/2 years as a Physician Assistant, Wallace is retiring at the end of February 2026. He mentions having a great career and has so many great memories of the class of 1988. He wonders how many of his classmates are still working.
1990s
Ellen Hartman (’90)
Retired from family practice on October 1, 2025 after 35 years of being a PA. She plans on a lot of skiing, traveling with her malamutes and will be a grandmother in the spring.
Randall Guavin (’91)
Retired in 2020 after working in the Franklin County Emergency Department for 28 years. Guavin is a Selectman in the Town of Farmington and is running for the Maine House of Representatives in 2026.
Ellen Hartman (’92)
She retired from family practice on October 1, 2025, after 35 years of being a PA. She plans on a lot of ski trips, traveling with her malamutes, and will be a grandmother in the spring.
James Marshall (’94)
Marshall retired in 2016, after practicing in 5 different specialties: Cardio-thoracic Surgery, ER, Orthopedics, Pre-surgery, and Wound Clinic. Marshall writes, “The ability to change specialties really attracted me to become a PA, and I used that ability to the fullest!”
Pete Donovan (’98)
“Put my loupes into the box for the last time in June 2025 after a rewarding and productive career in cardiac surgery!” Donovan writes. His daughter, Meagan, is a senior nursing student and likely going into the cardiac surgery ICU. Donovan is very excited to see what the next chapter has in store.
2000s
Michelle Hopkins (’06)
Hopkins will transition to IQVIA as a physician assistant clinical specialist for a leading medical device manufacturer. She has served as a surgical PA for the last 13 years, most recently with Novant Health OB/Gynecology.
2010s
Jeana Schneider (’10)
Schneider was awarded the inaugural Duke University Hospital APP Clinical Excellence Award 2024.
Sarah Cooper (’12)
graduated from the University of Lynchburg with her Doctor of Medical Science degree in January 2025. She and her husband, Paul, welcomed their daughter, Lily, in March. Big brother Lucas and big sister Audrey are thrilled with their baby sister.
Minh Nguyen (’13)
After 12 years dedicated to neuro-oncology, Nguyen embraced a new professional chapter in August 2025 by joining UCLA Health. In this role, Nguyen has been tasked with the management and development of the newly established Pediatric Hematology Oncology 24/7 Inpatient APP Team. Her career path as a PA was deeply inspired by her personal experience as a childhood cancer survivor, allowing her to now bring her life and career experience full circle to the very population to which she once belonged.
Heather Velaetis (’15)
Velaetis was appointed the inaugural Advanced Practice Provider Liaison for Critical Care of the Johns Hopkins Health System.
Stephanie Agoncillo (’15)
Stephanie Agoncillo (‘15) and her husband, Zach Haney, welcomed their beautiful son, August, on November 10, 2024. They recently held his first birthday party in Santa Cruz, CA.
Katie McGrath (’15)
Katie and her husband, John, welcomed their second daughter, Audrey Kate, in February. She joins big sister Anna Mavis.
Scott Jones (’15)
Jones is still a hospitalist with HCA HealthONE and Common Spirit Health across metro Denver, Coloradao. Jones is married with two boys (10 and 7 years old). He spends most of his free time traveling abroad with the family, in the mountains, seasonally playing baseball and doing CrossFit where time allows. He is working towards POCUS certification.
Nathan McCloskey (’17)
has been serving as Medical Director alongside his clinical work at a large FQHC in Spokane WA.
2020s
Joseph Banham (’20)
writes that his third child was born at 26 weeks! She came home after 4 months in the NICU and is doing great. They just celebrated her first birthday.
Ben Thompson (’20)
joined the full-time faculty at the UNC PA program starting July 2025.
Katherine Monjaras (’20)
got engaged. In 2024 her fiancé, Andrew, proposed in front of Mt. Fuji, Japan. They are now in full swing planning for their Fall 2026 wedding in NY!
Kevin Gentile (’23)
Kelly and Kevin Gentile welcomed a daughter, Florence Grace Gentile, on 1/21/25 at 6:51 pm. She was 6 weeks early, spent 3 weeks in Duke’s NICU, and made it home 2/11/25. She has been meeting and exceeding all milestones and growing extremely well. Florence looks forward to being a member of the Duke PA Class of 2049 or later as well as meeting all the aunts and uncles of the Class of 2023!
Kisa Meredith (’23)
Kosa and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Minori Eloise Meredith, on June 17th, 2025! They are looking forward to her being a future blue devil. Kisa reflects “She accompanied me all 9 months to my head and neck surgery position and spent many hours in the OR (in utero).”
Mickey Chan (’24)
graduated with a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree from Pacific University in Oregon. Officially Mickey D. Chan, DMSc, MHSc, PA-C, doctorally-prepared, proud physician associate.
Lauren Lemons (’24)
is now a Pediatric Primary Care PA-C in Maryland! Prior to practicing, she had the great privilege of serving as a substitute teacher, with children from Pre-K to High School. She writes that working with people continues to bring her the greatest amount of joy. “I am so grateful for the doors that the Duke PA Program has opened for me.”
Madison Fazzolare (’24)
just hit one year of clinical practice in family medicine at a rural community health center in NC. She organized a food drive, learned Spanish, taught students, and designed the new provider onboarding program.
Shelley Wallace (’25)
started a role as an emergency medicine PA two months ago.
Desmond Pobdinga (’25)
Desmond Pobdinga was a hospital Corpman prior to being selected for the U.S. Navy Health Services Collegiate Program to attend PA School. He graduated in August 2025, passed the PANCE and was commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) in October 2025. After commissioning, he reported to Officer Development School (Newport, Rhode Island) in November 2025. Upon graduation in December 2025 after 5 weeks of Officer Development School, Pobdinga was assigned to Department of Branch Clinics/Medical Homeport at Sewell’s Pont Branch Health Clinic in Norfolk Virginia.