PA of the Year

Overcash graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina PA program in August of 2002. Soon after graduating from MUSC and beginning his job at Trident Dermatology, he received his Masters degree in Dermatology from the University of Nebraska. He is the founder and immediate past president of the South Carolina Association of PAs in Dermatology (SCAPAID) and successfully lobbied for the approval of Dermatology PAs in SC to legally start appropriating patients on Accutane. He serves as a preceptor in Dermatology to numerous PAs and medical residents throughout the year.

Additionally, Overcash's volunteer work throughout the world has made him a role model for PAs everywhere. Several times a year he takes groups of PA students, doctors, nurses, and other volunteers overseas to serve on medical missions. His missions reach the underserved in Central and South America and West, East, and South Africa, Jamaica and Vietnam. During each mission, the team performs medical check-ups and procedures on more than 1,000 patients with illnesses ranging from the minor cold to tumors requiring surgery. He is not only the leader of these missions, but also serves as a mentor and instructor to the PA students working alongside him, instructing them on minor surgeries and clinical diagnoses.

Overcash currently serves on the board of Palmetto Medical Initiative (www.palmettomedical.org), a non-profit organization that serves to take medical students and PA students overseas to participate in medical missions. They have established a training facility in Uganda along with a fully stocked operating room. The students receive intense preparatory and mid-trip training, for which they receive course credit. What's more, Overcash and other board members are working to make the participation of the PA students in clinical rotations abroad earn them course credit as well.

As for his immediate community involvement, Overcash is an avid volunteer at free clinics. He serves as a specialty consultant at the Dream Center in North Charleston, and occasionally as a preceptor at the CARES clinic in Mt. Pleasant. Through his efforts, he is able to teach and mentor students as well as expand the recognition of PAs. He regularly participates in other local outreach projects such as free skin cancer screenings and health fairs. He is fluent in Spanish and French and uses these to further extend health care to those in need.

Through all of his efforts, Overcash truly represents what PAs are striving for in South Carolina and across the nation. As he received his award, he challenged all PAs to step out of their comfort zone and reach beyond what is "expected” of them, urging all PAs to get involved outside of their office or hospital and make a difference in the community and the world.

Buck Harvey has been the epitome of the original spirit of the PA Profession for nearly 20 years. As a rural health care PA, Buck has provided outstanding and unselfish service to the citizens of Hampton County, South Carolina throughout his career. Not only has Buck provided the high quality, cost effective health care that we all strive for, but he has taken a significant role in fostering the same spirit in many other PA’s as well. As one of the early leaders of SCAPA, Buck helped to develop what today has grown into a unified voice for PA’s in SC. As an adjunct professor of the Physician Assistant Program at the Medical University of SC, Buck has often volunteered for presentations to the PA’s of the future. He also serves as a highly regarded clinical instructor for PA students on rotations as well. Buck has been a constant voice and figure for rural health care in SC. Not only has he dedicated his professional career to this cause, but he has also given much of himself personally. Buck recently served as the first Physician Assistant ever to hold the position of President of the SC Rural Health Association. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Low Country Area Health Education Consortium, Inc. and is a member of the Hampton County Council.

Congratulations Buck for being selected as the 2002 SCAPA PA of the Year, and for your accomplishments as a PA, community leader, mentor, and as a longstanding SCAPA leader, contributor, and role model.

Rebecca Zerwick Johnson was named SCAPA 2019 PA of the Year at the SCAPA Fall CME Conference held at the Charleston Marriott. In presenting the award, PA Eric Shoup recognized Rebecca’s many years to service to SCAPA, to PA students, and to the PA profession.

Rebecca got involved with SCAPA immediately after graduating from MUSC and going to work in South Carolina. She has held countless roles over the years from Grand Strand Area Rep to CME Committee member and chair to Legislative Committee member and chair and all the way up the ladder to SCAPA President. She has worked tirelessly to champion the PA cause in South Carolina. One of her most outstanding accomplishments was overseeing passage of the PA Practice Act changes in 2013 when she made numerous trips to Columbia as Past President and Legislative Committee Chair.

Rebecca has served in family medicine, emergency medicine, weight loss medicine, and now plastic surgery. In each job role, she has taken on leadership responsibility within the workplace, and she strives to give her patients the absolute highest level of care in every aspect. She is always learning something new and growing in her skills. If she finds a procedure she doesn't know how to do, she learns how to do it and then masters it! At her current job, she manages the in-office OR and has been responsible for getting and keeping her OR accredited and even scoring perfect scores on their last inspection. She is also in charge of training new mid-level hires to their rapidly growing surgical practice. Rebecca has always been an excellent PA and colleague and is most deserving of this honor.

Eric has served on the SCAPA board for many years. He was initially elected as the Midlands Area Rep in 2010, moved up to Vice President in 2017, and currently serves as President-Elect. He is also a dedicated member of the SCAPA CME Planning Committee. As well as always attending the SCAPA conference and being available to fill a speaker vacancy on the program, Eric is responsible for obtaining many of our product theatre sponsors, exhibitors, and other speakers each year.

Eric promotes the PA profession whenever possible. He is a frequent participant on panel presentations for aspiring PA students and serves regularly as a preceptor for the PA programs in South Carolina. He has also represented SCAPA on the national level at the AAPA Legislative and Advocacy Summit.

Eric is a PA at Palmetto Heart serving the Columbia and West Columbia, South Carolina area. He received his bachelor of science degree in biology from Wingate University in Monroe, NC, his master of science degree in exercise physiology and cardiac rehabilitation from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, and his physician assistant degree from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. In addition to his membership and participation in SCAPA, Eric is a member of numerous professional associations, including the American College of Cardiology, American College of Sports Medicine, National Lipid Association, and the American Academy of Physician Assistants. He is a Cardiac Care Associate with the American College of Cardiology and has certifications from the National Lipid Association as a Clinical Lipid Specialist and from the American College of Sports Medicine as an Exercise Specialist and Health Fitness Instructor.

Megan is the founder of SCAPA's ASPIRE program. She founded this program after seeing a need in the Charleston area to educate prospective PA students about the profession and the path to getting into PA school. Megan has chaired our ASPIRE committee, has served on numerous panels for prospective students, and precepts aspiring students on a regular basis. As part of Megan's role as the Director of PA Practice at MUSC, she also serves as a faculty member for the PA Program at MUSC. She is currently directing the Introduction to PA course and continues to update this course for their students to ensure they are learning everything they need to about the PA profession early on in their education.

In presenting the award, SCAPA’s 2015 recipient, Gabby Poole, extolled Ann-Marie’s many contributions to SCAPA and the PA profession. “Ann-Marie has demonstrated her commitment to our profession through several different avenues: her commitment to the leadership of SCAPA, her willingness to serve as a preceptor to PA students and aspiring PA students, her devotion to her patients, and her dedication to teaching PAs and PA students on global mission trips.”

Ann-Marie served as a leader on the SCAPA board for many years, beginning as the Student Representative for her class and then transitioning after graduation from MUSC in 2006 to the Lowcountry Area Representative where she served for many years, organizing monthly dinner meetings to educate PAs in the area about the initiatives of SCAPA. During her tenure on the SCAPA board, she was always prepared for meetings, offering insightful suggestions and ideas for our leadership.

Ann-Marie has spent her entire career as a PA working in a rural health community in St. Stephens, SC. Together with her supervising physician, she has dedicated countless hours to the patients at North Berkeley Family Practice and truly cares about those who are underserved. She is also devoted to teaching students and preparing them for clinical practice and always has a student working alongside her and her supervising physician. Because she works in a rural health community center, Ann-Marie is really able to give students a valuable learning experience and challenges them to give excellent patient care to those less fortunate, to study about things they do not know, to apply the things that they do know and to become more confident practitioners.

In addition to her normal 8-5 job at Berkley Family Practice, Ann-Marie has been participating on and leading medical mission trips since she was a PA student. She has led over 10 trips to Togo, West Africa where she has worked alongside Pioneers Togo. She has a heart and a passion for the people of Togo and for the ministry of Pioneers Togo. She is dedicated to sharing their story with people here and bringing new people to Togo on her mission trips each year. She is also dedicated to training and raising up new leaders for these mission trips, which is essential to the future success of the program.

Gabby has been a SCAPA member since 2007 when she joined as a student member. She is a 2009 graduate of the MUSC PA Program and has been active in leadership since graduation serving as Upstate Area Rep, Communications Chair, Vice President, President-Elect, President, and now the coveted role of Past President.

As Upstate Area Rep, Gabby was responsible for establishing a professional network of PA’s across all areas of medicine that meet regularly over dinner for professional development and to discuss issues relevant to our profession. As Communications Chair, Gabby spearheaded development of SCAPA’s new website and worked alongside Janet Jordan to give our website a much needed facelift. As a result of this hard work, SCAPA was recognized by the AAPA and awarded the 2014 award for Optimizing the PA Profession. Gabby traveled to Boston to represent SCAPA at their annual Leadership Banquet and gave an acceptance speech that highlighted all of the hard work that PA's are doing here in South Carolina. In addition to speaking on behalf of SCAPA, Gabby spent time networking with leaders from multiple state organizations and discussing ways to make sure SCAPA remains one of the nation’s top constituent organizations.

Gabby has always felt one of the biggest challenges for SCAPA is the presence of new PA's in leadership positions. As President, she made it one of her main goals to reach out to PA's across our state and get them more heavily involved in the leadership of SCAPA. She encouraged each committee chair to get their committees more involved in the activities and decisions that impact our profession. In doing so, she increased the number of PA's taking active roles within the organization and played a huge role in making sure SCAPA is on track to sustain growth and make positive steps forward in the future.

Gabby also serves on MUSC's Advanced Practice Professional Task Force where she is an active voice and representation for PA's at MUSC. In addition to all of the hard work that she does for SCAPA and MUSC, she dedicates a large amount of her free time to global medical missions. She and her husband lead a medical mission trip once a year to Togo, West Africa to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of those people living in the remote villages in Africa.

Congratulations Gabby and thank you for all you do!

Tim is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina class of 2004. He has remained in South Carolina practicing as an independent contractor in emergency medicine, family practice, pediatrics and urgent care. He is an unrelenting advocate for our profession at both the state and national levels. Tim is a valued member of SCAPA. In addition to being involved in clinical practice since 2004, Tim has found time to represent the PAs of South Carolina in the AA PA House of Delegates where he actively engaged and shared his insight about issues and contributed to the debate on issues of national scope. For the past several years, he was an active member of the South Carolina Health and Human Services committee which deals with positioning our state to provide healthcare to the Medicaid population. Tim served SCAPA as President and was an exemplary leader. During his leadership role, he also served on the legislative committee and played a pivotal part in the Modernization of the PA Practice Act.

Being one who understands that “Give Back” philosophy, Tim serves as a preceptor for students from the Medical University of South Carolina Physician Assistant Program. He has been described as an exemplary teacher, mentor, and role model. This past year, Tim was also presented with the Preceptor of the Year award from the Medical University of South Carolina PA Program.

We are truly fortunate to have someone with Tim's energy and commitment to our profession and to the delivery of healthcare for the citizens of South Carolina. Congratulations Tim!

Each year the South Carolina Academy receives nominations for the PA of the Year. The nomination materials must include a written rationale or biographical abstract detailing how the nominee meets the award’s criteria and why the nominee is deserving of the award. The recipient must be a Fellow member of SCAPA, in good standing for a minimum of five years with SCAPA, BME, or NCCPA and whose contributions span the entire career of the individual. The criteria include the following: 1. Evidence of recognition by all segments of the PA Profession and by others. 2. Evidence of commitment to the PA profession. 3. Evidence of championing the PA cause. 4. Evidence of time spent educating and influencing others in support of the PA profession. 5. Evidence of outreach to individual PAs and PA students. 6. Demonstrated speaking and/or writing skills.

Mr. Irvin, a native of Hartsville, SC, has over 35 years of Orthopedic Surgery experience. As a PA working in a surgical subspecialty and Chair of the Reimbursement Committee in 2007, he recognized inconsistencies in the reimbursement of PAs for their services provided in the operating room and was instrumental in launching an initiative to obtain reimbursement for PAs in this area. He has also been named an MUSC Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient, which is given annually to one or more graduates of the MUSC College of Health Professions in recognition of outstanding professional achievement; service to their profession, the community, the college, or the university; excellence in leadership, professional growth, or educational advancement or service. Mr. Irvin was also responsible for setting up the Elizabeth P. Gouge Memorial Physician Assistant Scholarship Fund, and so it seems rather fitting that as part of being named the PA of the Year, a contribution in the recipient’s name is made to this scholarship fund.

Upon receiving the award, Mr. Irvin stated, “First, I was truly humbled being chosen for this award! I’ve always considered myself a ‘worker bee’ and try to stay out of the limelight. There are many members in our midst that I know are far more deserving of this award than I am. SCAPA has been blessed with many members that were instrumental in forming the profession we enjoy today in South Carolina. Going from a group that was required to take a narrative type of state board exam to the prescriptive privileges we have and the presence we have on the SCBME PA Committee today reflects the committed mission SCAPA has obtained over the years. I’m sure this is just the beginning of what will be accomplished as we enter a new phase of healthcare. Thank you again for this wonderful award!”

"The South Carolina Academy of PAs is an integral part of the PA community. Elected leaders in the academy volunteer their personal time and work incredibly hard behind the scenes all year to promote the profession in many ways. Our state academy strives to promote quality, cost-effective, accessible, patient-centered health care within a physician-led team,” said Victor. "When I think back to all the recipients of this award in the recent past, to all their contributions and accomplishments, I am very humbled and honored to have been nominated by my colleagues and given this award by our state academy.”

Victor joined Lexington Cardiovascular Surgery earlier this year and was instrumental in setting up Lexington Medical Center’s first cardiovascular surgery unit. Prior to coming to Lexington, Victor worked as a cardiovascular PA in Greenville, NC and Florence and Columbia, SC. He has more than 12 years of experience in minimally invasive endoscopic vein harvesting, a procedure allowing the veins for coronary bypass surgery to be harvested from a keyhold incision on the leg.

Victor is active at both the state and national level for the PA profession. During the past five years, he has demonstrated determination in seeking and achieving insurance reimbursement for surgical PAs as the co-chair of the SCAPA Reimbursement Committee in 2008 and as chair since 2009. In 2007, he was elected as a state representative to the AAPA House of Delegates and became chief delegate in 2010. He also led the efforts to organize the Pee Dee area, serving as the local area representative from 2008 to 2011.

As a preceptor, CJ has been a mentor to many of the practicing PAs in South Carolina and has influenced many young people to seek a career as a physician assistant. The second year PA students who have worked with him obtain a deep appreciate and respect for internal medicine working with him providing compassionate care. The PA students often comment on the respect which he receives from his fellow PAs and physician partners. CJ regularly refers potential PA students to the SCAPA office for shadowing information and information on how to become a PA.

CJ has also served SCAPA in many capacities, culminating in his election as SCAPA president in 2003 and serving for 3 years. He was instrumental in the growth of SCAPA which afforded the organization the opportunity to hire an executive director. He was also engaged in the process of selecting a lobbyist that began the process of improving the SC PA Practice Act. The hiring of Ted Riley, Esq. to represent the interests of SCAPA led to the expanded prescriptive privileges for SC PAs.

CJ Parris exemplifies the qualifications deserving of SCAPA’s PA of the Year. He is an excellent speaker and writer. He is recognized by all segments of the PA profession and other symbiotic groups. His level of commitment to the PA profession and his patients is unmatched. He is a true champion of the PA cause. He has dedicated himself to educating people about the PA profession, and he has mentored and influenced many students to become PAs.

Dr. Jacques is in his fourth decade of practice as a PA and has twenty years service, concurrently, in administration and instruction in PA education. Jacques plays an essential part in the MUSC PA Studies Division, and his enhancements of the program have raised it to the national standard for Physician Assistant studies. The MUSC program now rivals any in the country. In addition to his work on clinical curriculum development, Dr. Jacques is responsible for procuring grants totaling millions of dollars for use in promoting such important public health issues as tobacco cessation, Enhancement of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and advancement of the PA degree to the level of Master of Science.

For the past eight years, South Carolina PAs have come to know him as a tireless and effective promoter of South Carolina Physician Assistant practice and practice law. He has authored and co-authored effective legislation concerning prescription authority and supervisory oversight, increasing access to care for those who otherwise may not have care available, and raised public and political awareness of the profession to the benefit of all.

Through all of these outstanding efforts, Dr. Jacques represents what PAs are striving for across SC and the nation. Upon receiving the award, Dr. Jacques stated, "I’m honored to be recognized as the SCAPA PA of the Year for what I believe is my small contributions to some amazing things. The accomplishments of the profession could only be achieved with everyone’s involvement towards the overall goal—access to quality, patient-centered health care.”

SCAPA proudly recognizes 2025 PA of the Year, Chad Robinson, MSPAS, PA-C, CPAAPA, for his unwavering dedication to the profession and longstanding service to the association.

A graduate of Medical University of South Carolina (Master of Physician Assistant Studies) and Winthrop University (Bachelor of Biology), Chad has built a distinguished career as a Surgical PA specializing in minimally invasive and robotic procedures, with a focus in urology and colorectal surgery.

As a past SCAPA President and current CME Committee Chair, his leadership has helped shape the organization’s growth while advancing professional education across the state. He has remained deeply committed to mentorship, serving as a preceptor, guest lecturer, and conference speaker to support the next generation of PAs. Through nearly two decades of service, Chad has been a steadfast advocate for the profession, strengthening its voice and impact throughout South Carolina.

Megan Walters has been a PA since 2011 and works in surgical oncology as an inpatient provider. She was on the SCAPA CME Planning Committee from 2012 through the 2023 conference and served as chair from 2016 to 2023.  She has been the MUSC divisions primary PA student preceptor for many years and is involved at her church, singing every Sunday on the worship team.

This year’s PA of the Year was recommended by multiple people and the competition was tough. Kevin Harmon, PA-C of Charleston is the 2023 PA of the Year.

Overwhelmingly, it is Kevin Harmon’s commitment to SCAPA and his work with the PA Practice Act that pushed him above the rest to win this award. Martha Green and Chad Robinson both nominated Kevin Harmon because he spearheaded ACT 132 in 2019 with opposition but never backed down. Matt Ewald said Kevin’s extensive commitment and countless hours spent to serve the SCAPA legislative committee and time spent in helping prepare and lobby for the passing of the latest PA Practice Act.

Matt also said his prior dedication to teaching, his involvement with the MUSC PA program and his dedication to the pre-PA students through shadowing and mentoring shows his dedication to the state organization. Currently, he works at the VA.

Kevin is a long time PA in the Charleston Area and helped pave the way for current and future generations of PA’s in South Carolina. Matt Ewald said, in many ways, he is the face of the profession in Charleston with the early inception of PA’s at MUSC. He also helped recruit several active faculty at the MUSC PA Program who have shaped the lives of many PA’s and their patients.

Kevin Harmon is a dedicated member and leader in SCAPA and we are proud to award him the 2023 PA of the Year.

On a state level, she is an active member of the South Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (SCAPA). Rita currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President while simultaneously holding positions on the Diversity, Legislative, Communications, and Philanthropy committees. She is the past Midlands Area Representative who fostered a sense of community and networking among the Columbia area PAs all while increasing the number of attendees to dinner meetings during her tenure. Rita also served as the past Communications Committee Chair where she expertly elevated the SCAPA presence across all platforms of social media.

On the national level, Rita represented our state in the House of Delegates at the 2019 American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) national conference where she voted on multiple PA advocacy resolutions. In 2020, Rita attended the AAPA Leadership and Advocacy Summit where she acquired valuable knowledge on promoting the PA profession on state and national levels with a special focus on federal funding and legislation. She also met with state legislators on Capitol Hill to discuss important PA legislative issues such as the Physician Assistant Direct Payment Act and Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act.

Holding appointments as Admissions Chair, Principal Faculty, and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina (UofSC) Physician Assistant Program, Rita's core duties provide outreach to PAs, PA students, and aspiring PAs. Rita has made long-lasting connections within the community with locally practicing PAs to provide lecturing and clinical skills instruction to matriculating students and conducting interviews for applicants to the program. These relationships provide a wide array of experienced PAs to the students in both the classroom and clinical environments. Rita provides classroom instruction, hands-on training, and faculty mentoring to current UofSC PA students. Lastly, as Admissions Chair, Rita interacts with numerous applicants both before and during the admissions process optimizing virtual and social media platforms for "Chat with the Chair" and other live events. She has leveraged Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to reach prospective students on platforms they are familiar and comfortable with. Rita also utilizes in-person events such as program open houses and traveling information sessions to reach prospective students and share valuable information about the program and becoming a PA.

Rita has been an integral part of championing the PA cause in South Carolina. Two recent examples were her tireless efforts advocating for Senate Bills 132 and 314. Senate Bill 132 is the new SC PA Practice Act that was signed into Act 32 by Governor McMaster on August 11, 2019 and greatly expanded the roles of practicing PAs in SC. Senate Bill 314 was initiated by the Coalition for Increased Access to Primary Care (CIAPC) and offers state tax incentives to preceptors of medical, PA, and nurse practitioner students to increase the pipeline of new, practicing clinicians in primary care.

Rita received the Outstanding Faculty Instructor Award from in the inaugural graduating Class of 2019, evidence of commitment to the PA profession and outreach to PA students. It is clear that Rita lives and breathes the life of a PA committed to her students, local community, state, and nation.

Jen Marshall has been a key leader of SCAPA since 2009 when she joined the CME Planning Committee, serving as co-chair of the committee from 2011 to 2016. She was elected to the Executive Board in 2016 as Vice President and moved up the ranks to serve as President in 2018-2019. Jen joined the Legislative Committee in 2019 and was instrumental in co-writing and the passage of Act No 32, the PA Practice Act of 2019. She continues to co-chair the Legislative Committee where she educates and communicates matters of importance on PA practice in South Carolina to the profession, the Board of Medical Examiners, and the General Assembly.

Jen has been employed in the Pediatric Neurosurgery Department at MUSC since her graduation and has served as a PA Preceptor since 2008. She has served as MUSC's Lead Neurosurgery APP since 2016, was co-chair of the MUSC APP Council in 2016-2018, and EPIC SuperUser in 2011-2012.

Joe Wehner was named SCAPA 2020 PA of the Year at the SCAPA Fall CME Conference held at the Sonesta Resort Hilton Head. In presenting the award, PA Chad Robinson recognized Joe’s many years to service to SCAPA, the PA profession, and the medical community.

Joe has a long track record of excellent care that he affords the community through his work as a PA in Neurosurgery within the Prisma and Lexington healthcare systems. He has been involved in SCAPA since he was a student representative in 2003 and ultimately served as President in 2009-2010. He continues to chair the Professional Wellness and Liaison to SC Recovery Program since 2012 to present.

PA Wehner epitomizes all that PAs hold dearly: passion and empathy to help others, service to the community, self-sacrifice, willingness to give of time without compensation or recognition all to further the cause for PAs in SC and across the country.

Positions held by PA Joe Wehner:

• Student Representative 2003-2005
• Midlands Area Representative 2005-2008
• President-Elect 2008-2009
• President 2009-2010
• Past President 2010-2011
• Communication Committee Chair 2011-2012
• Professional Wellness Committee Chair and Liaison to SC Recovery Program 2012 to Present