"The Power of the PA Voice" - Lisa Gables, AAPA CEO

This session will explore effective ways to advocate for both the PA profession and patients, while demonstrating the PA impact on the healthcare system. In addition to educating PAs about ways to raise awareness of the profession among key stakeholders within their communities, the presentation will provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions.

Speaker bio: Lisa M. Gables is an association executive with extensive experience in healthcare and aging services. She was named chief executive officer of the American Academy of PAs in September 2020 after serving as interim CEO since June 2019. She has been with AAPA for more than eleven years, having served as chief financial officer and chief development officer from May 2012 to September 2020. In these roles she was responsible for overseeing the financial management of the organization, fostering external strategic outreach to individuals and like-minded organizations, and developing and implementing an integrated strategy to generate opportunities to provide AAPA and the PA Foundation with funding to support their missions.

From May 2012 to July 2015, Lisa Gables also served as the executive director of the PA Foundation. Prior to joining AAPA and the PA Foundation, she was the executive director of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation. Before that, she was the executive director of the National Adult Day Services Association, where she increased awareness of adult day services with federal regulators while managing all aspects of the association’s operations. Prior to that, she served as the chief financial officer of the National Council on Aging and vice president of finance and business development for Active Services Corporation, the nation’s largest adult day services, home care and rehabilitation network.

Lisa Gables also served as finance manager and senior financial analyst for Birmingham Baptist Medical Center and held financial positions with ReLife, Inc. and Ernst & Young. She is a certified public accountant with a degree in business administration and accounting from the University of Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to her career in aging and health services, she serves on the board and as the chair-elect of the American Society on Aging. She is the past treasurer of the Fairfax County Law Enforcement Foundation and currently serves as a volunteer with the Fairfax County Adult Protective Services Agency.

At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:

• Outline AAPA’s current priorities and initiatives focused on advancing the profession.
• Gain greater understanding of effective strategies to advocate for the PA profession at the state and community level.
• Describe how individual PAs can engage with advocacy on behalf of the profession and provide examples of desired outcomes.
• Discuss the findings from AAPA’s patient experience study commissioned by the Harris Poll.

This activity has been reviewed by the AAPA Review Panel and is compliant with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 19 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Approval is valid from 3/8/2024 to 3/8/2025. AAPA reference number: CME-2010808.

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