1970s
Gilbert Nelmes ('71)
Nelmes attended the Duke PA Program's 60th Anniversary Celebration on October 15th, 2025. The event included the induction of six Duke PA Program pioneers into the Alumni Hall of Fame. He also presented a recognition plaque to Ken Ferrell, PA-C, Class of 1967.
Michael Phillips ('73)
Michael retired in 2014 after a 42 year career in organ procurement, preservation, and transplantation. In 2009, he received the AAPA Distinguished Fellow Award. Michael served as the Duke PA Program's second alumni president and was inducted into the Duke PA Hall of Fame. He has authored and edited numerous books, handbooks, and publications, and has received many national and Duke University awards and recognitions. In 2003, Phillips helped co-found the University of Toledo's Human Donation Science Program.
Jim Hill ('76)
Hill currently serves as Co-Chair of the new Elon Charlotte PA Program Community Advisory Committee and as PA Consultant to Dr. Jean Wright, CEO of the COPD Foundation. Although retired from clinical practice in 2018, he remains actively involved in the profession. A former Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, Hill considers these roles part of his legacy and says he still bleeds Marine Corps red and gold and Duke blue.
Susan Edgman-Levitan ('77)
Edgman-Levitan recently transitioned from Executive Director Emerita of the MGH Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation to Senior Advisor for the Stoeckle Health Decisions Center at MGH. She was also honored with the American Board of Medical Specialties Lifetime Achievement Award for Quality and Patient Safety Improvement at the organization's September conference. In addition, Edgman-Levitan continues to teach at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
1980s
Katherine Batts ('80)
Batts has embraced a variety of creative pursuits since retiring as a surgical PA several years ago. She has been taking watercolor and ceramics classes, with works from both mediums featured in a local gallery. Several of her watercolor pieces have also been sold. Batts says retirement has been awesome!
Thomas Cureton ('80)
Tom continues to live and work in Salt Lake City doing spine surgery targeting Spring 2028 for retirement. He took two of his sons with him on medical missions to Lima, Peru and Bohol, Philippines this year.
Justine Strand de Oliveria ('81)
Strand de Oliveira is retired and living in Portugal—but she has a new career as an author! Her Substack is at justinestrand.substack.com. Her first novel (2022) is historical fiction set in midcentury Brazil; The Moon Is Backwards is available at Amazon in all formats. Her second novel is a murder mystery set in a Southern Ivy academic medical center: Murder at Margrave will be released in March.
Craig Robinson ('86)
After retiring from clinical practice and the U.S. Army Reserves, Robinson and his wife relocated to southern Arizona, returning to the area where he held his first PA position. They stay busy volunteering with Team Rubicon, spending time with family, traveling, and settling into their new home.
1990s
Dennis Loudenback ('94)
Loudenback recently returned to vascular surgery, his first specialty and longtime passion, after more than 20 years in general surgery. He shared that he still misses his Duke classmates and cherishes his time at Duke.
Dixie Patterson ('97)
Patterson shared that plans are underway for the Duke PA Class of 1997's 30th reunion, which will be held in Durham in Fall 2027. Classmates are encouraged to contact her for updates or follow the class Facebook group for more information.
Elizabeth Goacher ('98)
Goacher was named Medical Director of Clinic 2J in Duke South by the Duke Division of Gastroenterology, effective August 1st, 2026. As the first APP to serve in a Medical Director role within Duke GI, she is excited for the opportunity to strengthen clinical operations while advancing APP representation in leadership. Goacher shared that the appointment is a meaningful recognition of her work helping build the practice and its teams over the past 25 years with Duke GI.
2000s
Karen Menning ('00)
Menning retired after a career that included 13 years in primary care serving underserved communities and three years in neurology and palliative care. She also helped develop the PA Program at Ohio University, where she has taught for the past 10 years. In addition, Menning is proud to be a six-year breast cancer survivor.
Robyn Wolkofsky ('00)
Assistant Program Director, Assistant Professor Elon University Physician Assistant Program in Charlotte.
Garon Strong ('00)
Strong retired after 23 years in family practice and emergency medicine and returned to Biscoe, North Carolina, after spending eight years at the beach. He enjoys retirement by staying busy farming, restoring old Harley-Davidsons and Chevy trucks, and spending time with his three grandchildren while eagerly awaiting a fourth. Strong also volunteers with the Special Forces Association, where he teaches basic medical procedures to new Special Forces medics and mid-level providers.
Angela Richardson ('06)
Angela and her husband, Bill, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May 2026.
2010s
Sarah Tillema ('13)
Sarah Tillema married Jared Riggs, a restaurateur, on January 10, 2026, in an intimate wedding ceremony in downtown Denver. The couple met playing volleyball nine years earlier. They have even more to celebrate as they look forward to welcoming their first child in November 2026.
Scott Jones ('15)
Jones recently transitioned his practice back to Denver from SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. He currently works as a hospitalist PA at Swedish Medical Center and Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, and also serves as a PRN hospitalist with CommonSpirit and AdventHealth across the Denver metro area.
Martha La Rosa Snyder ('18)
La Rosa Snyder shared that it has already been eight years since graduation and that she is currently on quarter eight of the PANRE-LA. After practicing in family medicine, she recently transitioned to urology, where she works alongside a collaborating physician who is also a Duke graduate. She and her husband have two children, ages six and three, who keep life full and rewarding. The family regularly visits rural northern Peru, where her family is from, and she says the area provides a peaceful setting for reflection and perspective.
2020s
Mickey Chan ('24)
Chan recently graduated with a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree from Pacific University in Oregon. Now officially Mickey D. Chan, DMSc, MHSc, PA-C, he proudly describes himself as a doctorally prepared physician associate. After beginning his career in otorhionolaryngology, Chan is currently taking to travel the world.
Shelley Elliott ('25)
Shelley Elliott shared some exciting life updates this year. She married Clay Elliott (Class of 2021) in May, and the couple recently relocated to Utah. Clay is completing his intern year at the University of Utah Hospital, while Shelley is working as a hospital medicine PA. Go Duke!
