Brandi Burns Named Physician Assistant Alumna of the Year

Brandi Burns (Née Loga), MMS ‘16, PA-C, graduated from Salus University in 2016 with her Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies. She has devoted years of experience and her knowledge in general pediatrics to providing quality patient-centered care. Specifically, her passion is to help families with weight management, infant care and nutrition, and concussion diagnosis and care. She is also well-known by many of her peers and students as being a phenomenal Pre-Professional Health advisor for students at Alvernia University, while also being an adjunct in the science department. Burns also lectures at Salus in the pediatric module of clinical medicine for first year PA students and takes second year PA students for their clinical rotations in pediatrics.

A heartfelt nomination for the Physician Assistant Alumna of the Year award was submitted by Burns’ patients Jen Clerici and her 11-year-old daughter Julia Clerici, who has a history of medical challenges that started as young as infancy with mysterious fevers doctors struggled to diagnose. When Clerici and her daughter met Burns in 2016, however, Clerici explained how the Salus alumna helped replace uncertainties with high spirits for the young patient, helping Julia gain admission into the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program. “Julia has had so many medical issues throughout her life, and Brandi has been the only person to figure out why,” said Clerici. Perhaps Julia summed it up best. In her own statement about Burns also submitted with her mother’s nomination, Julia simply stated, “She is my hero.”

This award is presented to an alumnus of the University’s Physician Assistant Studies program who has distinguished himself/herself through extraordinary service and contributions to the PA profession, bringing honor and prestige to Salus. The University’s Alumni Association is proud to name Brandi Burns the Physician Assistant Alumna of the Year.