About Airwaves & Educators
The Story Behind the Microphone...
Airwaves and Educators launched in January 2019 as a podcast for medical educators with a unique focus on Physician Assistant Educators. Discovering a lack of podcasts focused on PA education, Kris, Adrian, Janelle and Shaun decided to start a podcast of their own with the intent to help current or aspiring PA educators by sharing perspectives, providing resources and initiating conversations.
This collaborative project was designed to help new educators transition from clinical practice into education and how to balance both career paths. However, the podcast has evolved by discussing content and focusing on issues relevant to faculty members of all experience levels and other areas of health professions education.
Our episodes focus on a variety of topics designed for a broad audience to aid in the personal and professional development of the medical educator. These includes overcoming the challenges and complexities of the modern classroom, evidence-based teaching and learning, issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion, best practices in team building and mentorship, and strategies to transition and thrive in the academic environment.
As fellow clinicians and educators, we hope the show will generate insight and conversations by letting PA and medical educators know they are not alone as they encounter daily challenges. Meanwhile, there is a sense of community beyond the clinic and classroom that can form to support you. Our vision is to be the premier podcast for PA and medical educators to identify resources and provide support for our educator community.
Meet the Airwaves and Educators Hosts
Adrian S. Banning is an Associate Clinical Professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA and has been a faculty member there since 2008. She is responsible for didactic portions of PA education, particularly evidence-based medicine topics. Adrian has been a PA since 2006, having started her career in primary care with a proud focus on the veteran population before transitioning to education and research. She is interested in the strategies of Information Mastery, utilizing and applying evidence-based medicine effectively, improving empathetic patient-provider communication and the overlap between art and science. She is a strong proponent of the benefits of the medical librarian-clinician team. She has authored several publications in and The Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (JAAPA) and The Journal of Physician Assistant Education (JPAE) and is a peer-reviewer for both journals. She has also presented at PA conferences nationally. Adrian is the former editor of the A Difficult Diagnosis section of JAAPA, Exploring Medicine Through the Arts in JPAE and is or has been a cohost of three novel PA-centric podcasts. In 2016, Adrian was recognized in BillyPenn’s, “Who’s Next in Health” as one of 13 young Philly leaders shaping the health scene.
Dr. Banning received her doctoral degree from Drexel University and obtained her Masters of Medical Science/PA certificate from Arcadia University.
Janelle Bludorn is an Assistant Professor at the Duke University Physician Assistant Program. She is a certified emergency medicine physician assistant and her professional interests include mentorship of women in medicine, point of care ultrasound, healthcare communication, healthcare technology, and interprofessional education; she has presented on these topics nationally. Prior to joining the faculty at Duke in 2021, she served as faculty at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine PA Program for five years, and has had more than a decade of clinical practice experience in emergency medicine at UNC Healthcare in Chapel Hill, NC, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, and Cottage Health in Santa Barbara, CA. In 2018 she was honored as the North Carolina PA of the Year and in 2020 she received the Society of Point of Care Ultrasound’s Golden Probe Award for excellence in education. When not teaching or in the emergency department, you will likely find Janelle doing yoga, stress baking, or dreaming up ways to keep her toddler busy.
Shaun Lynch is an Associate Professor and Director of Curriculum in the Department of Medical Sciences at High Point University in North Carolina. He previously provided oversight of the Didactic curriculum at the Elon University PA program and served as Director of Clinical Education at the Red Rocks PA program in Denver, Colorado. Furthermore, he continues to practice clinically and has worked in Emergency Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Urgent Care settings. Shaun completed a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development with a concentration in Adult & Continuing Professional Education from North Carolina State University. He earned his Master of Medical Science degree from the Emory University School of Medicine PA Program, receiving awards in both Academic and Professional achievement. He also holds a graduate degree in Exercise Science from Appalachian State University.
Shaun has a passion for personal development and writes about the intersectionality of financial literacy and wellness as contributors to living with greater fulfillment and impact.
Kristopher Maday is an Associate Professor and Program Director for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Physician Assistant Program in Memphis, TN. He has been practicing PA since 2007 and has experience in trauma, critical care, and emergency/urgent care medicine. He joined the ranks of full-time academia in 2011 and has won numerous institutional awards for teaching and mentorship. In 2016, he was awarded the Physician Assistant Educators Association Rising Star Award and achieved Distinguished Fellowship in the AAPA in 2020. He is also the creator of the PAINE Podcast, which is a free podcast reviewing PANCE blueprint topics, and is co-host/co-creator of the JAAPA podcast (with Adrian). In his spare time, he enjoys training for Highland Games competition and spending time with his wife (Raena), three kids (Charles, Isabella, and Aubrey), and two rescue dogs (Oscar and Rosie).