EVMS has established an alumni association for graduates of its School of Health Professions.

The move represents an important milestone for the graduates and for the School of Health Professions, says C. Donald Combs, PhD, vice provost for planning and health professions. Dr. Combs sees the health professions alumni as crucial to fulfilling the school’s education and community service missions.

“EVMS needs their knowledge and their efforts,” Dr. Combs says. “The Health Professions Alumni Association is a very important mechanism to making that happen.”

Aaron A. Lambert, MPH (’07) is president of the alumni association. He says the organization will benefit the school by helping relationships among alumni, students and faculty.

“Our new association represents the beginning of what I’m hoping will be a strong and collaborative effort towards growing the health professions programs, providing the opportunity to network among fellow alumni and working with the students, faculty and EVMS community to help us continue to succeed,” Mr. Lambert said, an the group’s first meeting. Mr. Lambert manages claims operations in Georgia and Virginia for the AMERIGROUP Corporation, a managed health-care company.

Other members of the board are:

President-Elect Rita M. Fickenscher, MPA (’01).

A resident of Virginia Beach, she holds a BS in medical technology from Kent State University. Mrs. Finkenscher actively supports EVMS, organizing annual receptions for MPA alumni, coordinating alumni fundraising activities and helping to interview and educate MPA students. One of her three sons, Ben, is a 2005 EVMS MD graduate and a board member of the EVMS Medical Alumni Association. She is chief physician assistant with Emergency Physicians of Tidewater.

Bradford N. Boyette, MPA (’02).

A Chesapeake native now living in Virginia Beach, Mr. Boyette holds an undergraduate degree in music from Old Dominion University. A member of the EVMS community faculty, he works full-time in general surgery for Southside Surgical Group and part-time with Emergency Physicians of Tidewater.

Paulette Brown, MPA (’04).

Ms. Brown, a resident of Chesapeake, holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from Liberty University. She works with the 1st Fighter Wing, NASA Family Practice Clinic, at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.

Kerry A. Kruk, ATR-BC (’04).

Ms. Kruk, a resident of Norfolk, holds a BA in interdisciplinary natural sciences, biology and chemistry from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. She works for the City of Virginia Beach as a counselor at the Recovery Center, a detoxification and crisis stabilization center, and serves as art therapy adjunct faculty.

Taegen L. McGowan, MPH (’07).

Ms. McGowan lives in Newington, Conn. She holds an associate’s degree from the College of DuPage and an undergraduate degree in biology from Barat College. She works as a program assistant in the school of medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Kerry L. Walls, MPH (’06).

Ms. Walls lives in Portsmouth and holds a BS in finance from Virginia Tech. She is an operations analyst with AMERIGROUP Corporation.