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.
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President
Amy Butts, PA-C
Amy Butts is an endocrinology PA who is a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), a certified diabetes care and education specialist, and is board certified in advanced diabetes management. Amy has specialized in endocrinology for 22 years. She currently works as an endocrine PA for WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital where she runs her own outpatient endocrine clinic in Wellsburg, West Virginia. She has served on several volunteer groups for ADA and ADCES. She is on the Editorial board for the ADA’s publication Clinical Diabetes. Before starting her role as president, Amy has served in many volunteer positions for ASEPA including education committee chair, Secretary, and Vice President. Amy has spoken at several AAPA conferences and ADA conferences and does education for various CME organizations. In 2020, she started her own consultant business, Amy Butts Metabolic Consulting, LLC. She has been awarded America’s Top Physician Assistant by Point of Care Network (POCN) for two years in a row, 2020 and 2021. In her spare time, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and two golden retrievers.
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Vice President
Sonia Bahroo, PA-C
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Sonia Bahroo, PA-C has been in clinical endocrine practice since 2005. 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 currently works at Capital Diabetes & Endocrine Associates in Camp Springs, Maryland, specializing in the treatment of diabetes, thyroid disease, gestational endocrinology, and obesity. She encourages her patients to be active participants in their health care and emphasizes the importance of physical activity for overall health.
She has taught and precepted medical and PA students, published articles in Clinician Reviews and PA Clinics, served on multiple pharmaceutical advisory boards, held professional leadership positions, and is currently on the American Diabetes Association’s Clinical Diabetes Editorial Review Board. In her free time she enjoys beaded jewelry-making, gourmet vegetarian cooking, and spending time with her family. She is also an avid college basketball fan.
Secretary
Justine Herndon, PA-C
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Justine Herndon, PA-C (she/her), is a board-certified Physician Assistant and Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She obtained her MS in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Saint Francis – Fort Wayne in August of 2012 and started working at Mayo Clinic in the inpatient diabetes consulting team right after graduation. She joined the PGA (pituitary, gonadal, and adrenal) core group in 2014 and the TISCC (transgender and intersex specialty care clinic) in 2017. She started as part-time clinical faculty at the Mayo Clinic PA Program in 2022. Special interests include follow-up of pituitary tumors, adrenal incidentalomas, and gender-affirming hormone therapy. She enjoys precepting PA students, lecturing on various endocrinology topics both at the local and national level and research (with a handful of primary authorships). In her spare time, Justine enjoys traveling, hiking, training for triathlons, and spending time with her family. She is also pursuing her Ph.D. in Health Professions Education at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.
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Treasurer
Sean Flynn, PA-C
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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.
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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.
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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
Ashlyn Smith, PA-C
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Ashlyn Smith has practiced adult endocrinology in Phoenix, AZ, since 2013 after practicing in internal medicine and pediatric endocrinology. She currently serves as Immediate Past President on the board of directors for the American Society of Endocrine Physician Assistants after serving as Chief Delegate, Secretary, and President. She is the recipient of the 2019 and 2022 America's Top PA awards. Ashlyn also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Midwestern University. Her passion is educating colleagues, patients, and students. She stays active in the medical community by lecturing at the local, state, and national levels including American Academy of Physician Assistants, Metabolic and Endocrine Disease Summit, National Association for Continuing Education, Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants, and several other PA state chapters. She also acts as preceptor for PA and medical students.
In her spare time, Ashlyn enjoys country music concerts, camping, ballet and aerial dance, as well as spending time with her daughter, son, husband, three dogs, and (sometimes) the cat.
Student Representatives
Nicole Marie Rivera, PA-S1
Nicole is a first year PA student at the Lincoln Memorial University School of Medical Sciences in Harrogate, TN. She attended the University of Florida, where she received a BS in Animal Biology and a BA in English, specializing in poetry. Her passion for endocrinology began in 2015, when her youngest sister was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. She strives to work in pediatric endocrinology and become additionally certified as a CDCES. She is the Historian for her PA program and a member of the AAPA. Nicole comes from a big Puerto Rican family and is originally from South Florida. Her hobbies include hiking, playing ukulele, reading and writing poetry, and snuggling with her cat, Leona.
Charlie Woods, PA-S2
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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.
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Emma Nicolli, PA-S3
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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.
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