Recognizing UT Southwestern’s outstanding advanced practice providers
Advanced practice providers (APPs) make up a vital component of UT Southwestern’s workforce. The 1,067 individuals serve in a wide variety of roles, assisting patients and supporting their teammates at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, in clinics, and at partner health organizations including Children’s Health, Parkland Health, and Texas Health Resources (THR).
“APPs are critical to UTSW’s mission as they provide access and support the team-based approach to health care that is necessary in an increasingly complex health care environment,” said Christopher Roe, D.N.P., M.B.A., APRN, ACNP-BC, Adult Specialties Director for the Office of Advanced Practice Providers. “Their expertise and compassion help UTSW achieve excellence in health care and foster strong patient-provider relationships.”
About 680 UTSW APPs work with adult patients and more than 360 serve in pediatric specialties. Providing care for patients of all ages, UTSW APPs assess, diagnose, treat, and manage acute and chronic illnesses as well as administer preventive care across the life span.
UTSW observed National Advanced Practice Provider Week Sept. 23-27 with a series of thank-you events culminating in a ceremony that honored standouts from the five APP professional groups: clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.
Winners of the five APP Celebration Week Excellence Awards were selected through a rigorous review of nominations received by UTSW’s APP Recognition Committee. They were chosen for making exceptional contributions in the areas of clinical practice, community service, leadership, scholarly endeavors, and teaching. Additionally, the committee chose a faculty member as the 2024 APP CHAMPion.
Learn more about these prized team members below:
Outstanding APP in Clinical Practice
The award for Outstanding APP in Clinical Practice celebrates an Advanced Practice Provider who is enthusiastic, prepared, and effective while engaging in direct patient care, collaborates respectfully with colleagues, and practices evidence-based medicine. The recipient must consistently receive positive patient feedback.
Janelle Traylor, M.S.N., APRN, FNP-C
Pediatric Urology
Janelle Traylor has a reputation for exceptional patient care and is a valuable resource to colleagues and patients alike. She is a key contributor to multidisciplinary care teams and enthusiastically collaborates with all her Urology team members.
Co-workers describe her as “respectful,” “compassionate,” and “dedicated.” Ms. Traylor has a reputation as a natural leader who possesses a tremendous amount of information that she is happy to share.
Ms. Traylor works to enhance her clinical knowledge by attending Grand Rounds and numerous conferences. Still, she doesn’t forget the human side of her profession, greeting staff and patients with her ever-present smile. She can occasionally be seen skipping down the hallway or giving hugs and high-fives to patients and teammates alike.
The Spina Bifida Association of North Texas recently honored Ms. Traylor for her commitment and contributions. The Young Adult Spina Bifida Clinic at Children’s Medical Center Dallas has flourished under her leadership, with increased patient volume and added clinic days that have helped to bridge the gap between pediatric and adult spina bifida care.
Additionally, Ms. Traylor has created educational materials for families to care for babies after circumcision and is helping to create guidelines for urinary retention to decrease rates of catheterization for children. She is truly an example of the Children’s Health mission “to make life better for children” and is a well-deserving recipient of the Outstanding APP in Clinical Practice Award.
Outstanding APP in Professional and Community Service
The award for Outstanding APP in Professional and Community Service celebrates a clinician with active service in the community outside of their UT Southwestern employment whose service helps a specific, local population, reduces health disparities, and makes a lasting, meaningful impact. The recipient must organize and/or lead community engagement activities.
Thuy-Tien Ho, M.P.A.S., PA-C
Neurology, Neurocritical Care
Thuy-Tien Ho continues to make a lasting impact on the people around her, both in the community and among colleagues.
Ms. Ho has served as the course director for the Neurocritical Care Lecture Series since 2016, which monthly promotes stroke education. This effort spans across UT Southwestern, Parkland Health, and THR and is offered to a diverse group of health care professionals including nurses, APPs, physicians, therapists, and students. She also has been a strong proponent of furthering EMS education by speaking about stroke. At the national level, Ms. Ho has served as a committee member of the Neurocritical Care Society, helping to create and provide resources for APPs.
In the Dallas area, Ms. Ho has been involved with several organizations, including Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, a not-for-profit organization where she has helped to establish healthy lifestyle goals and modifying risk factors for strokes. Her goal has been to educate people about healthy eating and increasing physical activity while considering their socioeconomic status and social determinants of health. Moreover, she served as a team captain for the Head for the Cure 5K, a race that benefits UT Southwestern’s brain cancer research.
Ms. Ho is known for being thorough, professional, and passionate about health care and her profession. She is respected by her colleagues as both a vital member of the APP field and a solid ambassador for good health.
Outstanding APP in Leadership
The award for Outstanding APP in Leadership celebrates a clinician with effective leadership attitudes: someone who is motivating, creative, and positive. The recipient must utilize skilled communication and serve on a board or committee within or outside of UT Southwestern.
Joscelyne Dracca, M.S.N., RN, APRN, GNP-BC
General Internal Medicine, Division of Palliative Care
Joscelyne Dracca, a founding member of the Palliative Care team, is recognized as an outstanding leader for her commitment to APP advocacy and education. She was honored with an Excellence in Nursing Award for her work.
In her role as a Palliative Care nurse practitioner, she effectively communicates with patients, families, and staff to help those involved make informed decisions regarding end-of-life care. She routinely follows up with patients after they are discharged from the hospital to ensure their transition to end-of-life care is painless and filled with peace.
As part of Ms. Dracca’s passion to improve the field of palliative care, she presented the topic of “Heated High Flow Nasal Cannula: Providing Comprehensive End-of-Life Care When HHFNC Isn’t Enough” at the 2023 ENT for the PA-C annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona. She also has a well-known gift for planning moments that allow patients to have their last wishes fulfilled. For example, she has arranged hospital weddings for dying patients and family meetings that encourage the expression of love and support.
Education and advocacy are important to Ms. Dracca. While working at UT Southwestern, she has had the opportunity to orient new APPs and ensure her colleagues feel supported and successful.
Ms. Dracca’s insightful dedication to end-of-life care has provided patients and their families with the most dignity possible. This commitment to exceptional patient care and education exemplifies the highest standards of excellence in the advanced practice profession.
Outstanding APP in Scholarly Endeavors
The award for Outstanding APP in Scholarly Endeavors celebrates an APP who demonstrates efficacy in research, scholarly work, and/or quality and safety improvement projects. This APP has contributed to literature via a high-quality publication, received grant funding for their scholarly work, and/or served as a co-investigator on a new Institutional Review Board-approved study. The recipient must have completed a scholarly project with demonstrated impact.
Sydna Sebastian, D.N.A.P., CRNA
Anesthesiology & Pain Management
Sydna Sebastian demonstrates unwavering commitment to advancing the field of anesthesiology and pain management.
As part of her contribution to continued research, she serves as an international editorial board member for the Journal of Nursing Updates, a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly by the Government College of Nursing, Thiruvananthapuram in India.
Dr. Sebastian is committed to contributing to studies in her field, publishing papers in two separate medical journals over the past two years: “Anesthetic Management of Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy” in the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Journal in December 2023, as well as “Perioperative Nursing: Roles and Responsibilities” in the Journal of Nursing Updates in January 2024.
Dr. Sebastian is dedicated to bettering the culture of UTSW by acting as a mentor in UT Southwestern’s APP mentorship program. She is an inspiration to her Anesthesiology colleagues and other UT Southwestern peers because of her dedication to research and improving patient care.
Outstanding APP in Teaching
The award for Outstanding APP in Teaching celebrates an APP who is a respectful, professional, challenging, and supportive communicator with learners, particularly in precepting APP students, providing clinical lectures, and onboarding new APP colleagues. The recipient must practice and teach evidence-based medicine.
Amanda Virginia, DNP-A, CRNA
Anesthesiology & Pain Management
Amanda Virginia has been a Clinical Education Coordinator for nine years, working with Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Resident Registered Nurse Anesthetists (RRNAs). She consistently demonstrates exceptional commitment to fostering a dynamic and supportive learning environment.
Dr. Virginia creates and advocates for the best learning opportunities possible, ensuring that learners, residents, and colleagues are exposed to innovative techniques and practical skills. She collaborates with perioperative education for continued professional development, coordinates CRNA observation requests from individuals in the fellowship programs for APP Emergency Medicine, APP Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, and the APP Neurocritical Care, and helps with other nursing education needs.
An expert teacher, she’s sought out by team members of all experience levels. Dr. Virginia helps new colleagues hone their skills and build confidence in their abilities. Meanwhile, she recently worked with operating room physicians and APPs to provide education about the pharmacokinetics of moderate sedation medications as well as basics in end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring. Whether mentoring students, residents, or fellow providers, she ensures each learner receives tailored guidance to meet their unique learning needs.
Dr. Virginia is also involved in several institutional education initiatives including the Code Blue Committee and High Reliability Team simulations. She is currently working on a preceptor enhancement program to empower CRNA preceptors to transition RRNAs from novices to experts in their field.
With a passion for education, helping others to succeed and see their own potential is Dr. Virginia’s goal. Her dedication, commitment, and zeal have contributed to the success of UT Southwestern as a clinical site for RRNAs and has been instrumental in educating many of our current CRNA colleagues.
2024 APP CHAMPion of the Year
All UT Southwestern APPs were encouraged to nominate employees or faculty members who effectively collaborate, influence, support, mentor, and encourage APPs for this award.
Sean Yates, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology
Dr. Yates, a pathologist at UT Southwestern, is a champion for growth and improved access to care who encourages APPs to develop their skills to the fullest extent possible. UT Southwestern, Dr. Yates, and his Pathology clinical team improve health access in innovative ways, utilizing telehealth and working in partnership with the Patient Blood Management Program to decrease wait times for patients seeking specialized care. The work of APPs is a major factor in making the goal of improved patient access to care a reality in the Pathology Department.
Deeply involved in the Blood Utilization Review Committee, Dr. Yates supports and encourages APPs to take the lead on initiatives involving patient care and blood use. An APP colleague wrote:
“This has been accomplished by fostering APPs practicing to the full capacity of our licensure, increasing APP practice autonomy, involving and encouraging APPs during collaborative multidisciplinary discussions, and encouraging committee involvement both internally and externally to help further advance the role of APPs.”
Dr. Yates’ mentorship has allowed APPs serving on the team to have seats at the table and to feel empowered to participate and to serve as partners in patient care and program management. He continually demonstrates support for his APP colleagues. This collaborative environment extends beyond just the Pathology Department as Dr. Yates has helped promote and define the APP role and capabilities with partners in other departments.
“The experience working with this physician has been outstanding and emulating his CHAMP characteristics can provide a source of example and mentorship to others,” one APP said of Dr. Yates.