def LeaderSHIP
DEF Advisory Council
Joe Gorelick, MSN, FNP-C
DEF Founder
California Skin Institute
San Jose-Los Gatos, CA
Joe Gorelick has more than 18 years experience as a nurse practitioner and is involved in all aspects of medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology. Joe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology at the University of California at Davis and received a Master of Science degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and is nationally board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He is adjunct faculty member of both the Nurse Practitioner Program at Holy Names College in Oakland, California and the Touro University Medical Scool in Vallejo, California.
Joe has a particular interest in peer-to-peer education. Joe founded the Dermatology Education Foundation (DEF) in 2013 to update the educational resources and change the training paradigm in dermatology for nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). Through the DEF, live and web-based education continues to be a personal honor he spearheads. This exchange of information leads to advances in the practice and art of dermatology among NPs and PAs.
Wendy Cantrell, DNP, CRNP
Village Dermatology
Birmingham, AL
TJ Chao, MPAS, PA-C
Atlanta North Dermatology
Woodstock, GA
Kara Gooding, MMS, PA-C
Center for Dermatology and Plastic Surgery
Chandler, AZ
“I love working with the DEF for several reasons. I love the fact that the organization values both NPs and PAs equally. We are colleagues and the best environment for collaboration is together-not at separate organizations or meetings. The other reason is the high level of education quality. Key thought leaders and experts are sought to provide education to our community.”
Wendy Cantrell, DNP, CRNP
“Being on the DEF Advisory Council is important to me because it affords me the opportunity to collaborate with both physician assistant and nurse practitioner thought leaders from around the country to bring the highest level of education to our colleagues through online forums, Biologic bootcamps as well as at the annual, world-class Dermatology Essential Resource Meeting.”
Kara Gooding, MMS, PA-C
Steve Hawkes, MMS, PA-C
Vivida Dermatology
Las Vegas, NV
“Being on the DEF Advisory Council is important to me because I believe in the future of NP’s and PA’s working together to help Dermatology patients. I believe in mentoring and providing the highest level of education and support.”
Jayme Heim, MSN, FNP-BC
Jayme Heim, MSN, FNP-BC
West Michigan Dermatology
Grandville and Holland, MI
“I believe strongly about changing education for the better for NPs and PAs through the DEF because it is vital to our profession to continue to further elevate our skills and knowledge in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of dermatological diseases. The Dermatology Education Foundation has a profound commitment to NPs & PAs to continue to support our profession through the delivery of high quality conferences and by providing educational tools for our clinical mastery. It is important for us dermatology clinicians to empower each other by supporting high-quality organizations such as the DEF, an organization which strongly advocates on behalf of our profession.”
Andrea Nguyen, PA-C, MPAS
Sandri Johnson, FNP-BC
Midtown Dermatology
Rocky Mount, NC
“I’m passionate about improving access to high-quality dermatology education to NP/PA’s across the country to improve patient outcomes!”
Leigh Ann Pansch, MSN, FNP-BC, DCNP
Kristine Kucera, PA-C, MPAS, DHS
Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Texas Southwestern, Medical Center PA Program
Dallas, TX
“Being on the DEF Advisory Council is important to me because it brings Dermatology NPs, PAs, and Physicians together into a single entity where everyone is sharing their knowledge and friendship to advance the field of dermatology and provide a high quality of care for our patients.”
Kristine Kucera, PA-C, MPAS, DHS
“I believe strongly about changing education for the better for NPs and PAs through the DEF because the basis of providing excellent care in Dermatology is found in constant learning. The DEF constantly thrives to deliver prevailing educational information in our rapidly evolving specialty of Dermatology.”
TJ Chao, MPAS, PA-C
Andrea Nguyen, PA-C, MPAS
First OC Dermatology
Irvine, CA
Leigh Ann Pansch, MSN, FNP-BC, DCNP
Dermatologists of Central States
Cincinnati, OH
Darren West, MPAS, PA
Scottsdale Dermatology
Scottsdale, AZ