The Faculty of Physician Associates elections 2022 – new president and vice president announced
The Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA) is delighted to announce the results of the FPA elections 2022. A ballot was managed by Civica Election Services to elect the new FPA president and vice president. A total of 796 votes were cast by qualified FPA members.
FPA president
Jamie Saunders has been elected as president of the FPA. Jamie has been an FPA Board member since August 2019 and is a practicing physician associate (PA) in haematology at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
Jamie commented: ‘It is an absolute honour and a privilege to have been elected as the next president of the FPA. I want to thank Kate Straughton and the FPA Board for the work they have carried out over the last 3 years. Without their dedication and commitment, the PA profession wouldn’t be as strong as it is today.
‘I have been dedicated to being a proactive and true voice for PAs. In my role as president, I will endeavour to represent the voice of PAs in everything that I and the FPA strive to achieve. There is a long up-hill road that we face as a profession; our main priority as PAs is to provide patients with appropriate, timely and evidence-based medical care. We are such a diverse profession, and I want to see that grow through everything we do. We are moving at a rapid pace and I intend to keep that momentum going.
‘I’m so enthusiastic to see greater engagement with FPA members too. I was clear in my election statement that I want to see a profession that grows together and works towards a common goal. The FPA is the voice of the profession and I want it to be the home of PAs, where everyone has an equal voice.’
In his election statement, Jamie said: ‘Our role is rapidly progressing and continues to challenge the traditional ways in which medical care is provided to patients. It is innovative, forward-thinking and provides exceptional care to patients. From primary care through to tertiary referral centres, PAs are now becoming integral parts of the medical and wider healthcare team … We are such a diverse profession, with a common goal – driving patient care forwards. I hope that we can work together in driving our profession forwards.’
Three candidates stood for FPA president and Jamie won with 436 votes. He will succeed the current FPA president, Kate Straughton and will begin his 3-year term on 1 August 2022.
FPA vice president
Chandran Louis has been elected as FPA vice president. Chandran is a practising PA in urology at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a PA lecturer at St George's University of London.
Chandran commented: ‘I am absolutely delighted to be elected FPA vice president, it makes me immensely proud to serve the FPA members across all devolved nations. I am looking forward to engaging with the FPA members to continue this exciting journey together. My main aim during the next 4 years is to work with the current members, stakeholders and groups to create opportunities for PAs to work at their full potential. The first stepping stone to this is ensuring that regulation happens as soon as possible. It’s also vitally important to protect our professional identity within the workplace and I want to ensure the profession continues to grow in the right direction. I would like to further drive forward the work that’s already in development with royal colleges and societies including career frameworks to ensure PAs are developing both on a personal and national level.’
In his election statement, Chandran said: ‘I have always been passionate about our profession. I would like the opportunity to help make positive changes at a national level. I believe it’s important for others to understand the ethos of our role and to ensure we keep our identity whilst driving forward change for the benefit of the profession and our patients and I would be proud to be a voice for our profession at a national level.’
Three candidates stood for FPA vice president and Chandran won with 396 votes. He will succeed the current FPA vice president, Michelle Chapman and will begin his 4-year term on 1 August 2022.
We thank all candidates who stood for the election and those members who took the time to cast their votes. Please join us in congratulating the new FPA president and vice president, Jamie and Chandran.