WHO WE ARE

Bellamy Davis, President

Bellamy serves as the President of ASPA for 2024-25. She graduated fro UAB in 2017 with her MSPA. She also has a Masters of Public Health. Since graduation, she has been working at Urology Centers of Alabama in Birmingham. Bellamy has previously served as chair of the ASPA program committee.

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​Heather Neighbors, Past President

Heather graduated from the UAB Physician Assistant Program in 2008. Following graduation, she practiced with a vascular surgeon in Birmingham until 2018 when she joined the UAB Physician Assistant Studies Program as co-director of clinical education. Heather has previously served ASPA in many roles. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and three sons.

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Bonnie Minton, President Elect

Bonnie serves as the co-director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor at the University of South Alabama PA Program. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Auburn University and  Master of Health Science in PA Studies from the University of South Alabama. She enjoys teaching clinical medicine and pathophysiology in the specialties of hematology and oncology. Other areas of interest include PA student resiliency and emotional intelligence as they relate to admission practices and matriculation in addition to higher education leadership. She lives in Mobile with her husband, Mark, and two children.

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Chelsea Bares, Vice President

Chelsea Bares graduated from the UAB PA Program in 2009 where she received her MSPAS. She did a short stint in Neurosurgery following graduation, and then transitioned into Colon and Rectal Surgery for two years. She left surgery in 2012, and since then has called the Emergency Department home. She has been practicing clinically in the ED, and has had multiple leadership roles over the years. She was the System Lead APP for the Baptist Health sites in Birmingham, AL for 4 years, and was then promoted to Regional APP Director in July of 2022. She split her time doing her leadership role and still working clinically. As of 2024, she was offered a position on a regional traveler team with US Acute Care Solutions. She now travels around the southern United States to offer her clinical support to sites that need PA help. She enjoys a travel lifestyle and enjoys this change of pace!

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​Lindsay Kolasa, Secretary

Lindsay is a native of Birmingham who graduated from the UAB Physician Assistant Program in 2015. She has experience in both primary care and radiation oncology and currently practices in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UAB.

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​Molly Miller, Treasurer

Molly graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Physician Assistant Program in 2019. She has worked in radiology at UAB doing image guided procedures for three years and is looking forward to serving her fellow PAs this year as a member of the board.

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Lora- Emily Banks, Board Member at Large & 2025 Program Chair

Lora-Emily Banks serves as the Assistant Program Director for the Physician Assistant program at Faulkner University. She is a fellow member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), and actively involved with the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), serving on the Faculty Development Mission Advancement Commission (MAC). With a background in emergency medicine and academia, Lora-Emily is currently pursuing a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree with a concentration in health professions education.

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In addition to her academic and clinical roles, she is deeply committed to service, balancing roles as an educator, provider, and board member at large with a passion for contributing to the success of students, colleagues, and the PA profession at large. She is married (Sy) with three children, Vivian(9), Henry (7), and Stella (2) and enjoys spending quality time with family.

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​Brian Gronewold, Board Member at Large
Brian Gronewold is serving his first year as a Board Member At-Large with the Alabama Society of Physician Assistants (ASPA). He is a 2021 graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) Physician Assistant Program who has worked in Mobile, AL with the University of South Alabama (USA) Health's orthopedic trauma department since graduation.  He previously worked as a Certified Athletic Trainer for 13 years in various levels of athletic competition and served as an administrator holding the title of Director of Sports Medicine, during the final 2 years of his career.  He has a passion for patient care along with student education about the orthopedic field.

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Kelly Gunn, Board Member at Large

Kelly is a graduate of the University of South Alabama Class of 2021. He has been practicing as a physician assistant in urology in Mobile, AL since September 2021, specializing in men's health and male infertility. Kelly completed his undergraduate degree at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi in 2018. When he's not practicing medicine, Kelly is an avid hunter and fisherman.  His wife is also a practicing physician assistant in pediatrics. When he's not hunting and fishing, he and his wife are raising our baby girl, Ruth.

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Sharon Pelekanos, Board Member at Large

Sharon Pelekanos, MHS, PA-C, is the Director of Advanced Practice Providers at USA Health System in Mobile, Alabama since June 2022. She previously worked as the Director of Didactic Education (2019-2022) and an Assistant Professor (2016-2022) in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of South Alabama. She has worked clinically as a PA in the Department of Neurosurgery with USA Health since her graduation from the USA PA Studies Program in 2007 (full time 2007-2016; part time 2016-present). She has presented at multiple local, state, and national conferences, including the Alabama Society of Physician Assistants (ASPA) Conference and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) Conference. She previously served as a member on the Faculty Development Mission Advancement Council for the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). She has also served as a Board Member at Large with ASPA previously and is excited to serve again.

 

Prior to her studies at USA, she earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Zoology and Secondary Education (with a major concentration in Biology) at Louisiana State University and previously taught high school biology. She enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters, and two German Shepherds either outside in the garden, by the pool, or glamping.

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​Lauren Worley, Board Member at Large

Lauren Worley received her Physician Assistant Studies and Master of Health Science degree from the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Prior to PA school she received her Bachelor of Arts in Cell Biology from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. Upon graduation, she began working as a PA in Interventional Radiology in Hattiesburg, MS. Lauren then moved to New York where she practiced telemedicine and in Interventional Radiology part time. After moving back to Alabama, Lauren worked for two years as an assistant professor for the Faulkner University Physician Assistant Studies program. She currently practices as a PA in Interventional Radiology with Montgomery Radiology Associates in Montgomery, AL.

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Lauren is board certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physical Assistants (NCCPA). She is also a proud member of the Society of Interventional Radiology, American Academy of Physician Assistants, and Alabama Society of Physician Assistants. Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband, Austin, a non-surgical sports medicine physician, and two small children.