Richard Dehn was appointed Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies in November 2010. He received a BA in history from the University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1973, a BS in medicine in 1976 from the University of Iowa College of Medicine PA Program, and a MPA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA, in 1991. His medical teaching career began in 1979 as a faculty member for the UC-Davis FNP/PA Program Merced satellite, and for many years he worked as a PA in the UC-Davis Merced Family Practice Residency. In 1993 he became the Assistant Director of the University of Iowa PA Program. In 2003 he was named a Teaching Scholar by the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. From 2008-2010 he was the program director of the UC-Davis FNP/PA Program. He holds the rank of emeritus professor at the University of Iowa.

He has been very active in state and national professional organizations over most of his career. He also has served as President of the PA History Society, and the Chair of the Physician Assistant Education Association Research Institute. He currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants where he is the feature editor of Research Corner and Brief Reports, and he is a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association subcommittee on Data and Research. He has served on numerous grant review committees, as well as currently serving as a site visitor for the Accreditation Review Committee for Physician Assistants. He was awarded the American Academy of Physician Assistants PAragon Publishing Award in 2001, the Association of PA Programs Research Achievement Award in 2003, and the Iowa PA Society PA of the Year award in 2006.

He has published extensively, authoring dozens of book chapters, editing two books, and authoring over 100 journal articles. He has presented national workshops on performing research and scholarly work, designing of PA program curriculum, and writing for publication.

He has over thirty years of clinical experience as a PA in family medicine, where he has long advocated for the provision of primary care services in underserved populations. Additionally he has been a foster parent, advocating for the rights of children to grow up in a nurturing environment. His favorite pastimes are reading, playing musical instruments, and walking. 

After growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, Emily attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison followed by Midwestern University in Illinois where she became a physician assistant in 1997.  A few years later she earned an MPAS degree from the University of Nebraska. Emily practiced clinically in the fields of internal medicine, dermatology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation before becoming a full-time PA educator in 2007.  She is actively involved on the Board of Directors of the Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants (ASAPA) and serves on the Faculty Development Institute (FDI) of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA).  She anticipates finishing a Doctor of Health Science degree (DHSc) through Nova Southeastern University in the summer of 2012.

Emily has authored a book chapter, and has presented many lectures at both the ASAPA state conferences and the AAPA national conferences.  She has served as a student society faculty advisor and won a Faculty Appreciation Award in 2010.  As a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), Emily has committed her attention and career to being a PA educator, providing quality education to PA students at Northern Arizona University. 

Bettie Coplan, MPAS, PA-C

Bettie Coplan earned her Bachelor of Medical Science degree from Midwestern University in 1999 and her Master of Physician Assistant Studies in 2005. She has been an educator since 2006. Before joining Northern Arizona University, she served as Midwestern’s Assistant Director of Didactic Education, coordinated the program’s clinical master’s curriculum and taught evidence-based medicine. In her role at NAU, she coordinates the program’s History and Physical Examination and Clinical Decision-Making courses.

Bettie has published in a number of journals and presented on a national level on various topics including the use of technology in education. In 2008 she received the Physician Assistant Education Association’s (PAEA) New Faculty Award for Professional Excellence and in 2011, the PAEA award for article of the year. Bettie has practiced clinically since 1999; her experience includes correctional health, family medicine, and gastroenterology.

Michelle DiBaise grew up in Sacramento, CA and graduated with a strong science background.  She was a professional ballet dancer and moved to New York City to pursue a dance career.  After a couple of years performing, she moved to Seattle to attend college at the University of Washington majoring in psychology.  Michelle attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) PA Program and graduated in 1990.  She has practiced in pulmonology, orthopedic surgery and for ten years, dermatology in Nebraska.  She also practiced in psychiatry and urology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.  Michelle has served as adjunct faculty and a preceptor at UNMC and adjunct faculty at AT Still University in Mesa, AZ.  She was the Co-Course Director for Dermatology and an Instructor in Behavioral Medicine at the School of Osteopathic Medicine at AT Still University.  Michelle is currently a full-time Associate Clinical Professor for the NAU PA Program.

Michelle has served on various American Academy of Physician Assistant (AAPA) committees (Public Education, Awards, among others); the Student Academy of the AAPA as both a student and as Graduate Advisor; Vice President of the PA Foundation; the House of Delegates for nearly 22 years; the Journal of the AAPA Editorial Board; and the AAPA Board of Directors (three years as Director at Large: External Affairs Chair, Finance Committee, PAF representative; Student Academy Work Group). In addition, she has served as President of the Arizona State Association of PAs (ASAPA) in addition to serving as President for Nebraska, Iowa and the Society of Dermatology PAs.  She currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Dermatology PAs, the Public Relations Chair for ASAPA, the AAPA Board of Directors and as an abstract reviewer for PAEA.

Michelle has authored eight book chapters and over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles.  She has presented over 100 continuing medical education lectures at the state and national level.  She is a Distinguished Fellow of the AAPA.  Michelle was awarded the AAPA Educator of the Year Award in 2001.  She received the President’s Award in Iowa in 1994.  She was named PA of the Year in Nebraska in 1998 and placed in the Nebraska PA Foundation Hall of Honor in 2001. 

Mr. Enking was a Navy Corpsman with the US Marines prior to enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Madison PA program. After his graduation in 1985, he moved to Maine and concentrated primarily in internal medicine and psychiatry. In 1999, he accepted a position at the University of New England as the Clinical Coordinator for the PA Program. In 2010, he became core faculty with The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates to implement the first PA Program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Dr. Jennifer Hartmark-Hill grew up the small, rural town of Eveleth, MN. She completed an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, a Medical Degree from the University of Arizona-Tucson, and Family Medicine Residency training at the Mayo Clinic-Scottsdale.  Concurrent with her Chief Resident year at Mayo, Dr. Hartmark-Hill completed a Faculty Development Fellowship through the University of Arizona Family Medicine Department.

During her first three years of medical practice, Dr. Hartmark-Hill served as the Director of Young Adult Resident Education at Arizona State University Health Services-Tempe, where she taught patient care to rotating Resident Physicians from Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine, Scottsdale Healthcare Family Medicine, St. Joseph’s Family Medicine programs, as well as seeing patients and engaging in research.

Currently, Dr. Hartmark-Hill sees underserved patients, the general public, students and faculty in her clinical practice at ASU Health Services-Downtown Phoenix Campus, where she enjoys practicing patient-centered medicine in an integrated model of healthcare. 

Dr. Hartmark-Hill is Faculty at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix where she serves as Director of the Capstones Course, which provides early clinical experiences to first and second year medical students. She is also active in medical education research and health care policy advocacy, serving as a member of the Arizona Academy of Family Physicians Legislative Task Force.

Dr. Hartmark-Hill is excited to be a part of the NAU PA Program faculty as Medical Director, and passionately believes in the integrated, team approach to healthcare for optimizing patient outcomes!

In her spare time, Dr. Hartmark-Hill enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, and 3 rescue dogs, as well as reading, hiking, learning foreign languages and cooking.