Camille M. Paul
ST. CROIX — Camille M. Paul, a St. Croix-based physician assistant, was chosen this summer to participate as a fellow in the inaugural class of the PA Foundation’s 2020 Nutrition Outreach Fellowship program, a release issued this afternoon has made known.
“I’m honored to have been chosen and excited to participate in this nutrition fellowship,” Paul said. “I know that many of my patients will benefit from nutritional counseling. The Virgin Islands has a high rate of lifestyle diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Having the knowledge to treat and prevent these diseases with lifestyle modification is critical.”
Recently, the fellows participated in virtual trainings to prepare them to deliver nutrition education to community groups and their peers in health care. The content of the program focuses on the role of nutrition in overall health, with a special focus on prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes, healthy aging and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), according to the release.
Ms. Paul hopes to not only provide nutrition education to her current patients but also collaborate with community organizations and groups to reach a broader audience, stated the release. The fellowship allows her to also educate peers, including other healthcare providers and community members.
“I want to reach as many people as are willing to receive nutrition education,” she said.
Ms. Paul is a graduate of St. Joseph High School and attended the Barry University PA program in St. Croix, graduating in 2017. She worked in clinical research and earned a master of public health prior to becoming a PA. She has worked on St. Croix for the past two and a half years as a PA in cardiology at the Heart Center, PC, family medicine at the Frederiksted Healthcare Inc., and most recently emergency medicine at the Juan F. Luis Hospital. Ms. Paul is also a member of the Virgin Islands National Guard as a PA in the Medical Detachment. She is an active member of the U.S. Virgin Islands Academy of Physician Assistants and presently the chair of the legislative and governmental affairs committee, according to the release.
The goal of the fellowship is to provide a way for PAs, especially those with an interest in community leadership, to receive special training and resources on nutrition to both enhance their clinical practice and to give back to their health care peers and the community at large. The fellowship program is supported by Abbott Nutrition.
The PA Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that promotes better health and wellness by providing PAs and PA students with philanthropic opportunities and resources. As the philanthropic arm of the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), the PA Foundation’s mission is to empower PAs to improve health through philanthropy and service.
