Justin M. Gambini, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA
Clinical Professor
Program Director
Dr. Justin M. Gambini, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, (Dr. G) serves as the Program Director of Drury University’s Physician Assistant Program. With nearly two decades of experience in clinical practice, graduate medical education, and program leadership, Dr. Gambini is committed to preparing the next generation of healthcare providers.
Dr. Gambini earned his Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) from the University of Lynchburg, focusing on integrating Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) into PA education. He has established and transformed PA programs across the country for the last decade. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the AAPA, he is an accomplished educator, speaker, and author with expertise in emergency medicine, critical care, and rural and international critical access healthcare.
Beyond academics, Dr. Gambini is passionate about international medicine, particularly in Africa and Central and South America. He has worked extensively with various NGOs, including some he founded, to provide care to underserved communities. These efforts have also created opportunities for PA students to gain hands-on global health experience, inspiring the next generation of compassionate healthcare providers.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Dr. Gambini is a classically trained pianist, a railroad enthusiast, and enjoys model railroading in his spare time.
Kathryn L. Egly, MD, FACEP
Clinical Professor
Medical Director
Dr. Egly is a Clinical Professor and Medical Director in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. She is a board-certified Emergency Physician with 25 years of full-time clinical experience. In addition to clinical medicine, she has always been enthusiastic about teaching. Dr. Egly attended Albany Medical College in her hometown of Albany, New York. Her residency was at Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine in Norfolk. She served as Chief Resident in her final year at EVMS, and was named Outstanding Clinical Instructor during her tenure as attending physician. Dr. Egly has worked in many different practice settings from urban to rural, critical access to level 1 trauma center – in each one she has been a highly sought-after preceptor for students of all kinds. She has served on multiple hospital committees and held leadership roles including emergency department medical director. She also serves as medical director for ambulance services and paramedic teaching programs. Dr. Egly is an advocate for both patients and providers in the healthcare system with a deep personal and professional interest in provider wellness. In her free time, Dr. Egly is obsessed with horses, pottery and music. She has a horse farm, a pottery studio and plays violin (and fiddle) semiprofessionally. She also enjoys outdoor activities with her husband and two teenagers.
Kelsey Cozby, MMS, PA-C
Assistant Clinical Professor
Director of Didactic Education
Professor Cozby is an Assistant Clinical Professor and the Director of Didactic Education in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Kelsey has over 8 years of experience practicing as a PA. Kelsey graduated from UMKC’s PA program Inaugural class in 2016. This gives her a unique perspective as a faculty member starting a new PA program. In 2017 she completed the Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program through the University of Missouri and the MU School of Medicine. Kelsey worked in several emergency departments in the St. Louis area prior to moving to southwest Missouri. She has a special interest in point of care ultrasound and advanced procedures. In addition to serving as faculty with the Drury PA Program, she also works in the ER for CoxHealth. In her spare time, Kelsey enjoys spending time with her husband and sons and likes to travel anywhere she can hike or scuba dive. She also enjoys crafting and going to concerts.
Ashley VanZant, MSPAS, PA-C
Assistant Clinical Professor
Director of Clinical Education
Professor VanZant is an Assistant Clinical Professor and the Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Ashley has over 15 years of experience as a PA. She is native to Southwest Missouri and performed her undergraduate and Physician Assistant education at Harding University. Ashley started her clinical career in Neurosurgery in 2008 and then transitioned to primary care. She has been working in primary care for 13 years, with the last 8 years in a local community health center. She is dedicated to the education of future PAs and instilling the knowledge, skills, and empathy needed to be a great clinician. She is married and has three children. In her spare time, if she isn’t at a ballpark watching her kids’ sports events, Ashley enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling, visiting national parks, and spending time outdoors camping. Her newest experience has been coaching her youngest’s Pre-K soccer team. She is also active in her church and leads the teen girl small groups.
Mark Kaiser, MSPAS, PA-C
Assistant Clinical Professor
Principal Faculty
Professor Kaiser is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Mark has 25 years of experience as a PA and has worked in various areas of healthcare including: Emergency Medicine, Urgent Care, Occupational Medicine, and Corporate Health. Mark is a native of Connecticut and prior to becoming a PA, he was a Mechanical Engineer for 10 years working primarily for medical device companies. Mark attended the Rutgers’ PA program and has worked in the New Jersey/New York City area, often being the first PA to be employed at that healthcare site. Mark enjoys the challenge of bringing new teaching methods into his lectures and has been with the program since it’s early accreditation stage. Mark enjoys traveling to other countries and has combined travel with his PA skills to serve on medical mission trips. This has taken him to a dozen countries on over 20 short-term trips as well as long term assignments in Mozambique and El Salvador. Mark enjoys the Ozarks for hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and good barbeque.
Bethany Lemmon, MMS, PA-C
Assistant Clinical Professor
Assistant Director of Clinical Education
Professor Lemmon is an Assistant Clinical Professor and the Assistant Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. She has over 15 years of experience in Trauma Surgery, General Surgery, Wound Care, and Vein Care. She has practiced medicine primarily in and around the Greene/Polk County area since graduating from Missouri State University’s PA Program in 2009. Bethany is a native Missourian, having been born and raised in Kansas City. She also serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children in Greene County. Bethany’s favorite thing in the world is spending time with her husband and three children. She also enjoys being outdoors, exercising, and participating in the occasional half-marathon.
Laresa (Reecie) Dern, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology and Physician Assistant Studies
Dr. Dern is the Director of the Anatomy Dissection Lab, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department, and Instructional Professor in the Physician Assistant Studies Department. She got her Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed a graduate anatomy teaching fellowship at High Point University. For Drury’s PA Program, she course directs gross anatomy with cadaver dissection as well as biostatistics and epidemiology. Dr. Dern was drawn to Drury because of the genuine commitment of faculty and staff to education and the small student-to-instructor ratios that allow for meaningful learning relationships. In addition to her interest in anatomy and biostatistics, Dr. Dern is also a dental anthropologist and bioarcheologist whose research focuses on understanding human dental variation, particularly in medieval and early modern Hungary. On campus, she runs the new dental histology lab where undergraduate students can investigate variations in human and nonhuman dental microstructures. Her previous research has taken her to Peru, Croatia, and Hungary and allowed her to publish in peer-reviewed journals and present at international anthropology conferences. Dr. Dern is originally from Colorado and loves exploring Springfield, spending time with family and friends, reading, and traveling.
Kendra England
Program Administrator
Mrs. England is the Program Administrator in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Kendra manages the admissions process, as well as provides support for operational and administrative functions. She has a background in the healthcare and retail industries. Most recently she worked in finance and provider compensation at a local hospital system. Her previous background also includes experience in accounting at a software company and sales and inventory planning in supply chain at a large retailer. Kendra is passionate about supporting the Drury University PA Program in an administrative capacity as it develops leaders in the healthcare industry and advances patient care. Kendra holds a Bachelor of Business Administration – Finance Emphasis from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Outside of work, Kendra enjoys spending time with her husband, two boys, and two dogs. She also enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, and attending her children’s sporting events.
Michelle Dorland, AAS
Clinical Education Specialist
Mrs. Dorland is the Clinical Education Specialist in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Michelle coordinates student clinical rotations, working with the students, sites and preceptors. She also manages the necessary paperwork involved with rotations. Michelle has an extensive background in the healthcare industry. Most recently she worked in psychiatry, psychology and neuropsychology where she was the administrative assistant to the medical director and program directors of a local hospital system. Prior to that she worked in the Business Offices of local hospital systems, where she worked in insurance for close to 25 years. She has an associate’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Corinthian College in Springfield, MO. She is dedicated to progressing the program and likes to share encouraging quotes with the students. Michelle is married to her amazing husband and they have two grown children and 4 grand dogs. She loves spending time with her family, friends and her church. In her spare time, she is an avid crafter. She loves all things cross stitching, sewing, quilting, being an Air Force momma, card making, Kansas, and the color pink.
Our mission is to educate students to become physician assistants who are innovative leaders in the profession, practice evidence-based medicine, and are dedicated to facilitating healthy futures for the residents of southwest Missouri and beyond.
The Drury University Physician Assistant Program seeks to support each student’s unique style of learning within an accelerated, highly structured, and intense educational environment. We strive to be student centered and to provide opportunities for growth and collaboration with faculty. Our educational environment as reciprocal where all who participate bring experience and knowledge to the learning space. We endeavor to model and instill in our students leadership qualities and the values of professionalism required of a practicing physician assistant. We are committed to rigorous self-examination and continuous enhancement of the student experience.
To provide excellence in medical education through innovative educational strategies that produces competent graduates who are leaders that practice evidence-based and preventive medicine to improve access to health care in southwest Missouri and beyond.
The Drury University Physician Assistant Program will strive to instill these core values in students through our curriculum and training:
Drury University is fully committed to upholding and advancing the creation of a diverse and inclusive environment where every member of our community will treat each other with dignity and respect. We recognize that diverse experiences enrich our institution and all who pass through it. We honor, welcome and respect all identities and perspectives.
At Drury, we define diversity as the differences that characterize people and communities, including age, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, veteran status, ability, religion, political beliefs and other ideologies. Inclusion is how we engage these differences to create a welcoming community and expand opportunities for cultural knowledge. Educational and workplace equity refer to providing opportunities that enable everyone to receive what they need to be successful as they work and learn at Drury.
The Drury University Physician Assistant Program aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. We are committed to establishing an environment that invites, welcomes, and celebrates everyone’s diverse backgrounds and talents, and the contributions these attributes lend to our culture. The Drury University PA program is a safe and welcoming community for faculty, staff, preceptors, applicants, and students, and we seek to create a culture that values the robust exchange of ideas that enriches the learning environment and experience.
Because our desire is to foster a culture of belonging, we are committed to ensuring all faculty, staff, and students feel they are part of an environment that values their personhood and the many different aspects that make them unique. We will celebrate what each person brings to the learning environment that makes us all better and challenges us to be our best selves. To ensure we are actively pursuing an inclusive culture, we welcome constructive criticism that allows us to increase awareness of our natural biases, and forces us to assess our speech, actions, and activities, and commit to identifying and mitigating bias.
DUPAP is housed in the Trustee Science Center on the beautiful Springfield, MO Drury University campus. The space is newly remodeled featuring a large windowed classroom, skills lab, cadaver lab, student lounge, and study spaces. The Drury campus has additional resources such as a library, fitness center, health center, dining facilities, and additional study spaces.
Address: 729 N Drury Lane, Springfield, MO, 65802
