(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Physician Assistant Tracey Piparo, PA-C of Allentown, NJ, recently earned two national honors for her role in promoting and elevating the Physician Assistant profession. RWJUH is an RWJBarnabas Health facility.
Piparo was named to the Palliative Care Advisory Council of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) for a two-year term to support the important work of advancing the field of end-of-life care. She was also named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Association of Physician Associates (AAPA). Piparo will be recognized at a reception in May at the annual AAPA conference in Houston, where she will present two lectures covering hospice and palliative care, as well as the collaboration between palliative care and cardiology for the care of patients with heart failure.
“Tracey is an excellent clinician and advocate for the PA profession,” said Anthony Patten Jr., PA-C, Administrative Director and Chief of Advanced Practice Providers at RWJUH. “She is a passionate advocate for improving the quality of care and quality of life of patients and works tirelessly to advance the PA profession both in New Jersey and nationally.”
“I am honored to receive this recognition from these prestigious professional organizations,” adds Piparo. “Elevating the role and visibility of PAs across all disciplines in the healthcare profession is a passion of mine as is advocating and providing support for patients who require end-of-life care and their family members while they face this difficult time in their lives.”
Piparo has been a Physician Assistant (PA) for over 20 years, graduating from Catholic Medical Centers of NY-Bayley Seton PA Program in 2001. She began her career in Emergency Medicine in central New Jersey, spending nearly 17 years in a level one trauma center where she gathered invaluable knowledge and skills from all of her colleagues. She transitioned to hospital medicine for a large private group, further expanding and honing her skills and finding a love of Palliative Care. She was a member of the initial cohort of the CSU/Shiley Institute PA Certificate in Palliative and Serious Illness Care and now a facilitator for the program. She currently works full-time on an inpatient palliative care team at RWJUH and shares knowledge outside of work via social media to support the normalizing of death and dying. She has also spoken nationally to other PAs concerning the importance of advanced care planning and utilizing primary palliative care skills. Her goal is to educate people so that they are able to advocate for themselves and loved ones in the face of serious illness.
Piparo has been involved in PA advocacy for over 11 years, holding various positions in the NJ State Society of PAs, including past President. She has a passion for legislative involvement while increasing the recognition and advancement of the profession as an integral part of a collaborative healthcare system. She was instrumental in initiating legislation to have PAs be able to complete the POLST in NJ. During the pandemic, her leadership was vital to having an executive order signed allowing PAs to practice unencumbered throughout the state where their services were needed. She is also currently the outreach chair for PAHPM (PAs in Hospice and Palliative Medicine) with goal of raising the visibility of PAs in palliative care.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 628-bed academic medical center that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a nationally-ranked 2023-24 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s health. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence and being named to Newsweek’s 2023 list of Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers. The RWJUH Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as meeting The Joint Commission's standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Advanced Certification. RWJUH has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification for Spine Surgery; The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Bariatric Services; and The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Hip and Knee Replacement services. The Joint Commission also awarded RWJUH a Gold Seal Certification as well as an Advanced Certification in Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Implantation.
For more Information visit us online at rwjbh.org/newbrunswick
Contact:
Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
732-937-8568