Fall 2015 Perspectives

COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES • 23 The NSU Ethics Bowl, which was won by our Fort Myers PA team, served as a great opportunity to delve into the ethical complexities of health care as we faced tough competition from all the NSU PA programs and other programs from the College of Health Care Sciences and College of Nursing. My teammates—Eric Bertha, Nikki Iozzia, and Heather Robbins—and I were a little nervous about making the drive over to Fort Lauderdale on a weeknight in the middle of the semester, but the camaraderie of the other teams made it an enjoyable experience. Our coach and medical director, Frederick Paola, M.D., as well as many of our classmates, set up decorations, posters, and an inflatable shark to cheer us on through a video connection from Fort Myers. Although we held mock Ethics Bowl sessions over lunch in the weeks prior to the event, it was our ethics course that laid the foundation and allowed us to analyze the cases quickly and form our positions. Our coach encouraged us to examine even seemingly straightforward cases from multiple perspectives in the context of different ethical principles and moral laws. One of the most memorable aspects of the Ethics Bowl was the overwhelming spirit of camaraderie between the different programs. Events like the NSU Ethics Bowl serve to remind us that we are part of a larger community, with common goals. They teach us the value of a strong ethical foundation for our professions. n PA Program Named 2015 Ethics Bowl Champions BY AILA RAWLINS, PA STUDENT, CLASS OF 2016 The College of Health Care Sciences extends a warm welcome to Katheryn Knutson, D.H.Sc., M.H.Sc., PA-C, who recently joined the college as an assistant professor. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in science from Stetson University, she entered the NSU Physician Assist- ant Program in Fort Lauderdale, graduating in 1998. After relocating to the Fort Myers area, she spent the next 16 years in clinical practice, during which she completed a Master of Health Science and a Doctor of Health Science degree, both through NSU. Prior to accepting her current full-time position, Knutson served in an adjunct teaching capacity with the Fort Myers PA program since its inception. In her new role, Knutson is codirecting courses, such as Clinical Medicine and Surgery and Pharmacology. She is a member of the college’s Committee on Student Progress, Clinical Testing Committee, and Curriculum Committee. n Katheryn Knutson Joins Fort Myers Faculty W e felt connected to the local community, where many of our preceptors are located, and we were grateful for the opportunity to give something back to the community that supports us in our clinical year.