Mary Showstark
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Biography
- Chief, Physician Assistant Trauma Surgery (2004–2006)
- Director/Creator Taste of Gramercy (2012–2013)
- Director, Surfer’s Medical Association (2010–2020)
- Vice President of Physician Assistants for Global Health
- Director of New Development Physician Assistants for Global Health (2018–2020)
- Liaison to Euro-PAC (2019-Present)
- Global Ambassador to AAPA (2019-Present)
- Honorary Member of Global Association of PA/CO Association (GACOPA) (2019-Present)
- Communications Director International Academy of PA Educators IAPAE (2019-Present)
- Creator of International Federation of Physician Assistant/Physician Associate and Clinical Officer/Clinical Associate/Correlate Students’ Association (IFPACS) (2020-Present)
- Liaison to International PA Organization (IPAO) (2020-Present)
- Yale Institute of Global Health Affiliate Faculty Member (2020-Present)
- Welch Allyn Advisory Board Member (2018–2022)
Mary Showstark is a physician assistant (PA) who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2001 and a master’s degree in 2004 from the University of Florida. She started her career working at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital in trauma surgery and shortly after became chief PA. Showstark’s clinical experience is in trauma surgery, emergency medicine, urgent care and disaster preparedness for the federal government in numerous locations, including Los Angeles at LAC+USC, Maui, New York City and Miami Beach. Showstark has also spent many years working in event medicine and concierge services around the world from Johannesburg to Sydney with multiple cities in between. She has worked and consulted with private events and athletic organizations, including the World Surf League, Burning Man, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Tough Mudder, the Indies Trader, SEA Paddle and the New York City and Paris Marathons. Showstark is licensed by the NCCPA. She also works with the federal disaster FAST teams, previously served as one of the executive directors on the board of Surfer’s Medical Association, and was a consultant for the education board for Welch Allyn.
Showstark has worked in Haiti and Nepal, responding to natural disasters and providing medical care in rural and austere environments. She also consults in remote areas, such as Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, Marshall Islands, and the Philippines, performing medical needs assessments and helping with clinic development, setup and sustainability projects.
Showstark began working in PA education in an accredited PA program in New York City in 2012, where she served as clinical coordinator, and taught Psychosocial, Physical Diagnosis, Clinical Skills, SIM, OSCES and Lab Medicine, and was course coordinator for Emergency Medicine II. Showstark joined Yale as an instructor in the Yale Physician Assistant Online Program in 2017 and was promoted to Assistant Professor (Adjunct) in 2020. Showstark is the course director for Pharmacology I, II, III, Anatomy I, II, III, and previously Physical Assessment I, II and III. She serves on the admissions, progress, and student success committees, and is an academic, CEED, and capstone advisor to incoming students. Showstark is the creator and chair of the Virtual IPE (VIPE) Committee and program which as of January 2023 hosted over 60 universities in 30 countries with an interprofessional, virtual, education experience and focuses in on breaking down silos within healthcare and across sectors dealing with complex-wicked problems and the global health security agenda.
Showstark also spearheads virtual reality projects utilizing the Stanford Heart and Augmented Reality platform, teaching students proper hand hygiene through SureWash Go technology. She is also a member of Yale's XR in Medicine and ERIC working group. Showstark also affiliate faculty at the Yale Institute of Global Health and is the leader of the Global Health Student Interest Group which collaborates with PAs for Global Health; and Showstark is the faculty lead for the Wilderness Student Interest Group, which created Wild Med Wednesday, a speaker series in collaboration with the Wilderness Medical Society.
Showstark is involved in growing the healthcare workforce for the profession globally. She is a global ambassador to AAPA, liaison to Euro-PAC, communications lead for International Association of PA Educators, and consults with the World Health Organization on the Global Framework for Universal Healthcare. She is also the creator of the International Federation of Physician Assistant/Physician Associate and Clinical Officer/Clinical Associate/Correlate Students’ Association (IFPACS) and PAs for Climate Action, a Special Interest Group with the AAPA. In addition to her PA work, Showstark is certified in massage therapy, yoga, and security. She is also a current member of PAEA, AAPA, and Interprofessional.Global.
In her free time, Showstark enjoys traveling and has explored more than 100 countries on all seven continents.
Education & Training
- Non Degree ProgramWilderness Medical Society, Fellowship in Wilderness Medicine (2022)
- Fellowship in Wilderness MedicineWilderness Medical Society (2019)
- Non Degree ProgramAtmananda Yoga, Yoga 500 hours (2016)
- Yoga TeacherAtmananda Yoga 500 hours (2016)
- Massage TherapySouth Bay Massage College (2012)
- MPASUniversity of Florida, Physician Assistant
- BAUniversity of Florida, English
Activities
- The Network Towards Unity for Health, AFRI-VIPE, July 22nd 2021The Network Towards Unity for Health, AFRI-VIPE, July 22nd 2021 2021The Network Towards Unity for Health, AFRI-VIPE, July 22nd 2021
Honors & Recognition
Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
---|---|---|
2022 Excellence in Interprofessional Education (IPE) Collaboration National Award: Honorable Mention - Health Communications and Health Technology. This national award was granted by United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) for the project entitled: Making Public Health Visible Across the Disciplines: An Online Interprofessional Initiative. This is the second IPEC/COF award received by GWSPH and its VIPE partners. Showstark M, Wiss A, Embry E, Joosten-Hagye D, Resnik, C, Zschaebitz E | IPEC | 2022 |
IPEC/COF Excellence in IPE Collaboration Award (2020/2021) – Runner-Up and Winner, Health Communications & Health Technology). United States Public Health Service (USPHS/COF) and Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC). Showstark M, Wiss A, Embry E, Joosten-Hagye D, Resnik, C | IPEC | 2021 |
Leonard Tow Humanitarian Award -Nominee | Yale | 2021 |
Winner: Inaugural Lesley Diack Award International Network for Health Workforce Education (INHWE) Online, January 8, 202. Showstark M, Wiss A, Embry E, Joosten-Hagye D, Resnik, C | International Network for Health Workforce Education (INHWE) | 2021 |
Best Poster IPRED 2020 | IPRED | 2020 |
Center Recognition: NEXUS Interprofessional Education– IPE Center Recognition (2019 to present) | NEXUS | 2019 |
Service Award: Project Medishare Participation-Haiti post-earthquake | Project Medishare | 2010 |
Professional Service
Organization | Role | Date |
---|---|---|
AAPA Special Interest Group creator PAs for Climate Action, PAs for Climate Action AAPA | Founder | 2022 - Present |
Health Public Open | Guest Editor | 2020 |
International federation of PA & Equivalent Student Organization: Creator of IFPACS | www.ifpacs.org | 2020 - Present |
WHO competencies and LOOOP cirrriuculm mapping for Global PA programs | Chairperson | 2020 - Present |
ERIC at Yale | SOFA scores and disparities working group | 2020 |
GACOPA curriculum working group | Member | 2020 - Present |
IAPAE communications team | Lead | 2020 - Present |
Afri-VIPE | ongoing. Virtual IPE training events in Africa | 2019 - 2020 |
Third Wave Volunteers: Hurricane Dorian Bahamas | PA in disaster | 2019 |
Physician Assistant, Invited Consultant, Paris Marathon, Paris, France | Consultant | 2019 |
Venezuela Refugee Crisis, Third Wave Volunteers, Physician Assistant, Cucuta, Colombia | Task Force Member | 2019 |
Center of Disaster Preparedness | CDP Fundamentals of Disaster Instructor | 2019 |
Disaster Journal: Elsevier-Editor and Author | Editor | 2019 |
Elsevier Book Chapter Review Men’s Health in Primary Care | Reviewer | 2019 |
Wilderness Student Interest Group Facilitator | Mentor | 2019 - Present |
Global Health Student Interest Group Facilitator | Mentor | 2019 - Present |
Interprofessional.Global | Policy Working Group, Situational Analysis Group, Communications Working Group and Academic Workforce Group | 2019 - Present |
Physician Assistants for Global Health: Speaker Series | created online speaker series in the realm of Global Health | 2019 - Present |
Welch Allyn Educational Advisory Board, WA | Board Member | 2018 - 2020 |
PI: Using Virtual Reality to Teach Physician Assistant Students about Congenital Heart Defects | Lead | 2018 - 2019 |
Elsevier Book Review pre-revision review of Ballweg et al: Physician Assistant, 6e. | Reviewer | 2018 |
Virtual IPE Committee (VIPE) | partnering with 7 different universities and multiple specialties to create an online IPE, continuously expanding | 2018 - Present |
NicaBeat; medical clinic in Hacienda Iguana Region, Nicaragua | consultant to medical clinic set-up | 2018 - Present |
Medical Needs Assessment: Invitation from Siargao Island, Philipines | consultant to help set up clinic in remote island, working on initiative for an EMS system, introducing an EMS bill, partnership with WMS and other universities | 2018 - Present |
Director Surfer’s Medical Association, Siargao Island, Philipines. Medical Needs Assessment in Rural Health Care | Lead | 2018 - Present |
White House Lawn Presidential Inauguration | Task Force Member | 2017 |
Marshall Island clinic remote set up; lead coordinator; Beran Island | set up of remote clinic with supplies | 2017 |
State of the Union Incident Commander’s Commendation | Task Force Member | 2015 |
NYC Medics, Nepal | Volunteer | 2014 |
Indonesian Consulate, New York, NY | Advised on Ring of Fire, disaster preparedness | 2014 |
Co-Author/Peer reviewer, Journal of Dermatology Physician Assistants | Reviewer | 2012 - 2016 |
Surfer’s Medical Association, Worldwide., Surfer’s Medical Association, Worldwide. | Board Member | 2012 - 2016 |
Billabong/Volcom, Worldwide | consulted on medical supplies and set up | 2011 - 2013 |
Surfer's Medical Association, SMA | from board member to president | 2010 - 2020 |
Project Medishare, Haiti; | PA on the ground post earthquake & continued coordinating evacuation efforts remotely | 2010 |