BOARD MEMBERS
The following members presently comprise the Board for the American Society of Endocrine Physician Assistants. Board members are endocrine-practicing PAs and serve 2-year terms.
President
Ashlyn Smith, PA-C
Ashlyn Smith has practiced adult endocrinology at Endocrinology Associates in Scottsdale, AZ, since 2013 after practicing in internal medicine and pediatric endocrinology. She currently serves as President on the board of directors for the American Society of Endocrine Physician Assistants after serving as Chief Delegate and Secretary. She also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Midwestern University. Ashlyn's passion is educating and stays active in the medical community by lecturing at the local, state, and national levels including American Academy of Physician Assistants, Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants, the National Association for Continuing Education, and several other PA state chapters. She also acts as preceptor for PA and medical students.
In her spare time, Ashlyn enjoys concerts, camping, ballet and aerial dance, as well as spending time with her daughter, husband, and 2 dogs.
Vice President
Amy Butts, PA-C
Amy Butts MPAS, CDE, BC-ADM is a physician assistant and diabetes educator that has worked in endocrinology since 2001. She attended Saint Francis University where she received her masters in physician assistant sciences in 2001. She became a certified diabetes educator in 2003. She earned her board-certified advanced diabetes management certificate (BC-ADM) in 2019. She was a certified insulin pump trainer for Medtronic diabetes and Animas Corporation for 8 years. She has been actively involved with the American Diabetes Association’s Primary Care Advisory Group since 2015. She has contributed to the publications of the yearly ADA Abridged Standards of Care for Primary Care Providers. She has also participated with this group on various publications to promote ongoing diabetes education to providers and spoke at the annual Diabetes in Primary Conference in 2018. Amy spoke at the 2016, 2018, and 2019 AAPA Conference on insulin initiation and intensification. She has been on advisory boards for Amylin/Astra Zeneca/Bristol Myers/Sanofi/Merck. She is currently on speaker bureaus for Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Novo Nordisk. She currently works as an endocrinology physician assistant for Wheeling Hospital at the Wellsburg Clinic in Wheeling, WV. Amy is passionate about educating providers and patients on managing diabetes care.
Secretary
Sonia Bahroo, PA-C
Sonia Bahroo, PA-C is a board-certified Physician Assistant at Capital Diabetes & Endocrine Associates in Camp Springs, Maryland.
She received her B.S. and M.S. in Biochemistry from NC State University and then went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Medical Science from Methodist University. She initially worked in a private Endocrine practice in North Carolina before joining GW MFA in Washington, DC where she practiced for 15 years. She specializes in the treatment of diabetes, gestational diabetes, and thyroid disease.
She is a member of several professional societies to include the American Academy of PA’s (AAPA), the American Society of Endocrine Physician Assistants (ASEPA), and the District of Columbia Academy of PA’s (DCAPA), the last of which she is also a past president. She is currently the DCAPA treasurer.
She encourages her patients to be active participants in their health care and emphasizes the importance of physical activity for overall health. In her free time she enjoys beaded jewelry-making, gourmet vegetarian cooking, and spending time with her family.
Treasurer
Sean Flynn, PA-C
Hi Everyone! My name is Sean Flynn, and I’m the treasurer of ASEPA. I’ve had a journey to get to where I am now, but I’m happy to be working in endocrinology. I grew up in Denver, CO and moved to San Francisco for my undergraduate education at the University of San Francisco. I met my fiancé while in undergrad, and we both moved to Boston to attend the MGH Institute of Health Professions PA program (I’m the loud one, she’s the smart one!). After we graduated last May, we both moved to the Los Angeles area to start our career as PAs. She works in Occupational Medicine, and I moved into my current role in outpatient Internal Medicine and Endocrinology.
I’ll admit it- I’m a narcissist. I’m a type 1 diabetic who works in endocrinology. I always had an inkling that I wanted to work in endocrinology, but I was able to set up two endocrine rotations while I was in PA school to solidify my interest (one was with Dr. Zemel and Kristen Scheckel, our former Treasurer, and was a great experience). Outside of work, I like to spend my time watching football (Go Broncos!). My fiancé and I are trying to get back into running, but it’s literally a slog.
Overall, I’m excited to work with ASEPA and I look forward to working with our board to expand the role of PAs in endocrinology!
Immediate Past President
Ji Hyun Chun (CJ)
MPAS, PA-C, BC-ADM
Current Position
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Medical Science Liaison: Corcept Therapeutics
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Physician Assistant: OptumCare Medical Group: Endocrinology, Orange County, CA.
Education
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A.T.Still University / Arizona School of Health Sciences, Master of Physician Assistant Studies
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Arizona State University, Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology
Academic Appointments
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Faculty member, Metabolic and Endocrine Disease Summit
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Editorial Board of Clinician Reviews
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Peer reviewer for Journal of AAPA
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Test Committee Member for Physician Assistant National Certifying and Recertification Exam (PANCE/PANRE) at National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
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Chair of Educational Advisory Board for Diabetes Leadership Edge
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Educational Advisory board for Obesity Leadership Edge
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Active lecturer at state and national conferences for various endocrine topics
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Multiple publications and editorial work on various endocrine topics
Professional Affiliations
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American Society of Endocrine Physician Assistants
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California Academy of Physician Assistants
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American Academy of Physician Assistants
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Endocrine Society
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American Association of Diabetes Educators: Board
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Certified Advanced Diabetes Management
Student Representative
Charlie Woods, PA-S1
Charlie Woods is first-year physician assistant student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. She previously attended Eastern Kentucky University and received a BS in Biomedical Science in May of 2021. Shadowing an endocrinology PA at the University of Kentucky Hospital gave her the opportunity to learn more about the specialty and grow her interest in the field. She is currently a member of the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants, AAPA, and serves as the honor council representative for her university’s PA program. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, often hiking, and hanging out with her two dogs. She has recently taken up roller skating to de-stress from her didactic studies, especially anatomy and pharmacology.
Emma Nicolli, PA-SII
Emma is a second year PA student at the University of Colorado CHA/PA program. She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia for undergrad and received a BS in biology. Her interest in endocrinology began over the summer when she greatly enjoyed her endocrine rotation including all the complex disease management and interacting with amazing patients. In her free time she enjoys hiking, skiing, and mountain biking the beautiful areas surrounding Denver.