In our latest Profile of Courage, a young North Carolina physician assistant (PA) finds himself monitoring juvenile COVID-19 patients quarantined at border patrol and embracing the challenge to serve kids in need. For Todd Harris, completing his MPAS in 2020 and then starting as a physician assistant at CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia, N.C. plants a long-awaited milestone on his journey toward a fulfilling career in health care.

For Peter Hairston, military service stands as a family tradition he hoped to continue. His father served as did previous generations before him. For Hairston the timing and prospects didn’t align until 2012 when a respected colleague, Dr. Henry Heard, presented a new pathway to uniform. “I got a wild hare and joined the military,” Hairston declares.

Noren Salehani, PA-C | On Friday, April 3, I opened my email to find the subject, COVID-19 Update – Helping NYC, at the top of my inbox. It was an opportunity for clinicians to answer the mayor of New York City’s national call for help and provide relief to fellow clinicians working at the epicenter of the coronavirus. At the time, things in Birmingham were changing rapidly but nowhere near what was being reported about the impact the virus was having on the NYC population. The more I thought about the email and the opportunity it held, the more my mind raced. I had an open gate and an invaluable opportunity to help.