Fox Chase’s Colleen Tetzlaff Named President of Association of Physician Assistants in Oncology

PHILADELHIA (October 12, 2020) — Colleen Tetzlaff, MHS, PA-C, an advanced practice clinician at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was recently named president of the Association of Physician Assistants in Oncology (APAO) for 2020-2021.

“Personally, it is a way for me to give back to my profession,” Tetzlaff said. “I have been a PA in oncology for 16 years, and in that time I have seen the growth of our profession and the impact that PAs in oncology have on our patients and in providing exceptional team-based care,” Tetzlaff said.

The association operates as a nonprofit specialty organization affiliated with the American Academy of Physician Assistants and is the only national organization representing PAs specializing in oncology. The organization’s purpose is to “promote the utilization of Physician Assistants in the delivery of exceptional care to people with cancer and related disorders,” according to the APAO.

“Since APAO was the first organization dedicated to representing PAs specializing in oncology, leadership in APAO provides me with the opportunity to guide and promote continued advocacy, education, and professional development for PAs in oncology,” she said.

Tetzlaff is the current PA representative for Fox Chase’s Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) Committee. She has also served as the chairperson of the APC Professional Development Committee and APC Recognition Committee.

Tetzlaff is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Additionally, she serves as a clinical preceptor and lectures on the management of treatment-related adverse effects for patients with genitourinary malignancies.

The APAO nomination committee is responsible for filling open board positions. Eligible candidates can be nominated by a peer or volunteer to run for a position and annual elections are held each May.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

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