Physician Assistant Studies Faculty & Staff
Chair and Founding Program Director, Professor
Julie B. Keena, DHSc, PA-C
jkeena@brenau.edu
tel: +1-678-971-1848
- Graduated from Agnes Scott College in 1985
- Earned PA certificate and MMSc in critical care medicine from Emory University in 1987
- Completed post-graduate residency in neurosurgery at University of Miami/JMH in 1989
- Earned DHSc from AT Still University in 2013
- Clinical PA in neurosurgery and neurology at UM/JMH 1988-1997
- Joined academia at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in February 1997
- Held many positions over 18 year period; led successful NSU PA program start up for NSU PA Program Fort Myers in 2004
- Over 13 years of experience as department chair and/or program director
- Assistant director at the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) from 2015-2019
- ARC-PA site visitor since 2002
- Teaching philosophy based on Chinese Proverb: “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I may understand.”
Assistant Program Director/Associate Professor
Kyrus Patch, DHSc, PA-C
kpatch@brenau.edu
tel: +1-770-297-5860
- Graduated from Alderson-Broaddus College with BS in medical science (PA degree), 1977
- Earned MSc degree from Alderson-Broaddus College in 2007
- Earned DHSc from AT Still University in 2015
- Extensive clinical PA career:
- Rural Ohio outpatient facility and even made house calls
- Snowshoe Ski Resort in WV as senior medical officer
- Cardiology Department in WV during “off-season”
- Walt Disney World house call medical officer
- Urgent care/family practice setting in Naples and Ft. Myers Beach
- Began academic career in 2007, holding many positions over 12 year period; last 4 years were as program director at Nova Southeastern University
- Dr. Patch aspires to teach a new generation of Physician Assistants to be knowledgeable, compassionate, professional and accomplished individuals she likes to call “Renaissance PAs.”
Medical Director/Associate Professor
J. Allen Butts, Jr, MD, FACS
abutts@brenau.edu
tel: +1-678-971-1830
- Graduated from Emory University with BA in chemistry/philosophy, 1984
- Earned MD from Emory University in 1988
- Completed surgical residency at University of Tennessee School of Medicine, Memphis TN 1988-1993
- Board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery
- Served as a preceptor for PA students in general surgery from 1994-2016
- Past-president of Longstreet Clinic, Gainesville, GA
- Past chief of surgery at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, GA
- Currently participates in GME training of surgical residents at Northeast Georgia Health System in the simulation lab
- Extensive career as board certified general surgeon in Gainesville, GA from 1993-2016
- Served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Naval Reserves
- Teaching philosophy based on Albert Einstein quote: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
Director of Clinical Education/Associate Professor
Heather Brown, DMSc, PA-C
hbrown5@brenau.edu
tel: +1-770-297-5942
- Graduated from Western Maryland College in 1995 with a BS in Clinical Psychology
- Earned PA certificate and MS in Health Sciences from The George Washington University in 2000
- Earned DMSc from University of Lynchburg in 2019
- Clinically practicing PA in Emergency Medicine/Urgent Care for over 20 years
- Practiced in the Washington, DC area in Emergency Medicine until 2011
- Continues to practice currently in Emergency Medicine/Urgent Care in the Atlanta area
- Assistant Professor/Adjunct Assistant Professor with Mercer University Department of Physician Assistant Studies from 2011-2020
- Published articles in many peer-reviewed journals on clinical, legal and advocacy topics
- Delivered national and international presentations and professional development workshops
- Teaching philosophy based on inspiring students to embody the principle of lifelong learning and is best summed up in a quote from the Irish poet W.B. Yeats: “Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”
Director of Didactic Education/Associate Professor, Chair, Committee on Admissions
Jerry Erickson, Jr., DMSc, PA-C
jerickson2@brenau.edu
tel: +1-770-297-5941
- US Army medic 1990-1998, active duty and National Guard
- Graduated from University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1997 with a B.S. in Biology
- Earned PA Certificate & MMSc from Emory University in 2003
- Earned DMSc degree from University of Lynchburg in 2019
- Clinically practicing PA in Family Medicine/ Urgent Care
- FQHC/CHC in North Georgia with National Health Service Corps
- Began PA academic career full time in 2012 serving at three institutions in different roles
- Longstanding service to professional PA organization at state and national levels including:
- GAPA, AAPA, PA Foundation, FCPA, ADPA
- Teaching philosophy based on beneficence and paying it forward with making a difference best summed up in a quote from the late Jackie Robinsons: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Principal Faculty/Assistant Professor
Colleen McCoy, MPAS, MHPB, PA-C
cmccoy1@brenau.edu
tel: +1-770-297-5949
- Graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Psychology, with a minor in Music, 2002
- Completed a Master of Arts in Health Promotion and Behavior from The University of Georgia, 2006
- Received PA certificate and MPAS from August University (formerly known as the Medical College of Georgia), 2014
- Seven years of clinical practice, including 3 years in Family Medicine and four years in Urology
- Teaching philosophy: If you do not understand something, just keep reading.
Instructional Faculty/Associate Professor of Anatomy and Genetics
Gregory P. Marshall II, PhD
gmarshall@brenau.edu
tel: +1-770-297-5458
- B.S. in Biology – St Andrews Presbyterian College, 1998
- Ph.D. in Genetics – University of Florida College of Medicine, 2005
- Postdoctoral Research – University of Florida, Departments of Anatomy and Physiology and Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, 2005 – 2012
- Research Assistant Scientist – University of Florida, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, 2012
- Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Physiology – Santa Fe College, Sciences for Health Programs, 2013
- Senior Scientist and NIH-funded Principal Investigator – OneVax, LLC, 2013 – 2020
- Joined Brenau University in 2020 as Associate Professor of Anatomy and Genetics
- “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” – Edward Everett
Principal Faculty/Assistant Professor
Britnay Ferguson, MMSc, PA-C
bferguson1@brenau.edu
tel: +1-678-971-1840
- Graduated from Georgia State University with a B.A. in Psychology, 2008
- Received a Master of Medical Science in PA Studies from Emory University, 2012
- Earned a NCCPA Certificate of Added Qualifications in Psychiatry, 2014
- Clinically practicing PA with over 8 years of experience in Integrated Psychiatry and Primary Care Medicine.
- Served as a Guest Lecturer and Clinical Preceptor for Emory University PA Program for almost seven years
- “We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn” – Mary Catherine Bateson
Director of Operations, Admissions Advisor
Polly Evans-Thomas
pevans-thomas1@brenau.edu
tel: 770-297-5844
- Joined Brenau University’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies in August 2021
- Office Manager for Art & Design and Interior Design Departments at Brenau University from 2018-2021
- Received Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Brenau University in 2021
- Received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources from Brenau University in 2019
- Received a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from The University of Alabama in 2015
- Received a Certificate in Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage from the Technical College of the Lowcountry in 2013
Academic Support Coordinator
Laura Hylton
lhoward@brenau.edu
tel: +1-770-297-5940
- Joined Brenau University’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies in July 2021
- Received her AA degree in Education from Brenau University in 2017
- Received her BA in Organizational Leadership in 2021 from Brenau University
- Brenau University employee for 15 years in the Child Development Center – many positions including teaching, Office Manager and Interim Director
- Family and her Faith are the most important parts of her life.
