Univ of CO Physician Assistant Program

10/07/2026

We know our CHA/PA crew works hard and plays hard, as you can see from these photos from the campus VOLO tournament and their 1st year vs 2nd year kickball game. To our 1st and 2nd years, enjoy Fall Break and play hard! GGR will be waiting for you when you return.

10/05/2026

🌟 Guest Lecturer Spotlight: Lexie Gallant, PA-C 🌟

Our GI/GU/Renal (GGR) Block is underway, and we're excited to spotlight one of our outstanding guest lecturers, Lexie Gallant, PA-C!

🏔️ Hometown: Arvada, Colorado

🎓 PA Education: CHA/PA (University of Colorado PA Program)

🏥 Current Practice: Lexie serves as a Hospitalist at the University of Colorado, where she primarily cares for oncology patients in the inpatient setting and in the cancer center urgent care clinic (CARE Clinic).

📚 Teaching with CHAPA Since: 2022

🩺 Lecture Topics:

Adult Altered Mental Status
Electrolyte Disturbances
Severe Fatty Liver Disease
Cirrhosis

(With support from her colleagues, Haley Briggs, PA-C and Kristen Harakal, PA-C)

💬 What does she enjoy most about teaching PA students? "I love helping early learners get started in their career and seeing the general excitement PA students have about medicine. They ask great questions and keep me on my toes and learning more every day. It also just feels good to be giving back to my PA program and helping shape future medical professionals."

🧠 Just for fun: If Lexie could be any organ in the human body, she would choose skin! "It's the largest organ in the body, constantly regenerating, serves as our biggest barrier to outside forces, and creates sensory inputs."

We are grateful for Lexie's dedication to patient care, passion for teaching, and commitment to preparing the next generation of Physician Assistants. Thank you for sharing your expertise with our students!

09/28/2026

From the classroom to Capitol Hill! 🏛️🩺

Our first-year students and faculty traveled to Washington, D.C. for the annual AAPA Leadership & Advocacy Summit!

From connecting with PA leaders across the country to advocating on Capitol Hill, it was an incredible opportunity to learn about the issues shaping the future of the profession. ✨

Advocacy is an important part of being a PA. We strive to help our profession grow while supporting policies that better serve our patients and communities.

We are so grateful to our students and faculty for representing CHAPA and using their voices for the future of the PA profession! 💜

09/25/2026

ICYMI - Next Friday (October 2nd at 6pm) is our annual Fall Alumni Event at the Wynkoop. If you haven't registered, get registered at the link below! We'd love to see you there!

https://web.cvent.com/event/9b1babe5-2bcc-4968-9a79-45468c9a5708/summary

09/18/2026

Our final Guest Lecturer spotlight from HEME/IIM is Dr. Nakano. Although he was at a conference during our block this year, he is one of our longtime CHA/PA guest lecturers. Dr. Nakano is a hematologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado who has been inspiring our PA students for more than six years.

Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Dr. Nakano attended Albert Einstein Medical School and now specializes in caring for pediatric patients with blood disorders. He shares his expertise with CHA/PA students through lectures on Immune Thrombocytopenias, helping them connect complex scientific concepts to real-world patient care.

💬 “My favorite thing about lecturing to PA students is sharing how the science translates to medical care and the direct impact it has on saving lives.”

When he's not caring for patients or teaching future PAs, Dr. Nakano enjoys eating, traveling, and all things Disney. He also appreciates Colorado’s beautiful mountains and changing seasons. And, in true hematologist fashion, if he could be any part of the human body, he'd choose blood!

📚 Favorite book: The Emperor of All Maladies

Thank you, Dr. Nakano, for your years of dedication to CHA/PA and for helping shape the next generation of Physician Assistants. We are grateful for your expertise, passion, and commitment to student learning!

/PA

09/16/2026

🌟 Guest Lecturer Spotlight: Lucy Logan Spears, PA-C 🌟

With the HEME/IIM Block coming to an end this week, it's a great time to recognize and publicly thank our Guest Lecturers for their contributions. We're excited to spotlight Lucy Logan Spears, PA-C, Senior Instructor in the Division of Hematology and one of our valued guest lecturers at CHA/PA!

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Lucy is a proud CHA/PA alumna who now practices in outpatient malignant hematology at the University of Colorado Blood Disorders and Cell Therapies Center. Since joining us as a Guest Lecturer in 2023, she has shared her expertise with students on topics including:

🩸 Plasma Cell Dyscrasias
🩸 Lymphoma
🩸 Chronic Leukemias
🩸 Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
🩸 Acute Leukemias

When asked about her favorite part of teaching PA students, Lucy shared:

“They have the best questions. I always learn something from them when I come to lecture because they make me think of something I hadn't considered before.”

Outside of work and teaching, Lucy stays busy with her three young children. If she were granted a magical day off, her perfect morning would include a Pilates class, a great cup of coffee, and a trip to her favorite thrift stores.

Thank you, Lucy, for your dedication to educating the next generation of PAs and for bringing your passion for hematology to our students! 🖤💛

/PA

09/14/2026

Don't forget to register for the CHA/PA Fall Alumni Event (Friday, October 2nd, 6pm) at the Wynkoop. Check out the details below!

Join us for the 2026 CU Anschutz CHA/PA Alumni Fall Reception, celebrating awardees:

Sandra Hoops, Class of 1981 ~ Henry Silver Legacy Awardee

Chelsea Stillman, Class of 2010 and Danielle Mashburn, Class of 2011 ~ Alumni Achievement Awardees ~

Lauren Griffin, Class of 2019 ~ Rising Star Awardee ~

Friday, October 2 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm |Wynkoop Brewing Company

Register at the link below:

https://web.cvent.com/event/9b1babe5-2bcc-4968-9a79-45468c9a5708/summary

09/11/2026

Now that Fall semester is in full swing, our "Chapaletes" have started preparing for their medical challenge bowl competitions this year. At last year's Chapalete end of year wrap-up, team "Faculty Rock" competed against our 3 student teams and, although Faculty Rock eagerly jumped to answer questions, they realized they needed a little more practice to be competitive. 😂

We're wishing our Chapaletes lots of success this year, and we look forward to cheering them on!

09/03/2026

Join us for the 2026 CU Anschutz CHA/PA Alumni Fall Reception, celebrating awardees:

Sandra Hoops, Class of 1981 ~ Henry Silver Legacy Awardee

Chelsea Stillman, Class of 2010 and Danielle Mashburn, Class of 2011 ~ Alumni Achievement Awardees ~

Lauren Griffin, Class of 2019 ~ Rising Star Awardee ~

Friday, October 2 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm |Wynkoop Brewing Company

Register at the link below:

https://web.cvent.com/event/9b1babe5-2bcc-4968-9a79-45468c9a5708/summary

08/28/2026