Advanced Practice Fellowship Summer Newsletter 2025
APF
CU Division of Hospital Medicine Presents: July 2025
IN THIS ISSUE
We are sad to see our APF Co-Associate Director, Rudy Moravek, PA-C, go but we’re excited to watch him grow in his next journey ahead!
Get to know APF alumni, Ben Haerther, PA-C.
September 2025 Cohort 6-7
Help us welcome the September 2025 Cohort! Curriculum Spotlight: POCUS
Learn about our POCUS curriculum and service line co-leads.
A message from our Education Program Principal Professional, Kelsey Keil, M.Ed, and a chance to read past APF newsletters.
About Our Program
We are always looking for new APF candidates and take referrals from our graduates seriously. Please feel free to share our email: DHM-Education@UCDenver.edu.
Check out our previous APF Newsletter here to learn more about our curriculum, past APF graduates, and information about our program. Or you can learn more by visiting our website by clicking the button below!
We have a lot of updates for you in this newsletter and we’re excited to welcome our 140th+ fellows into our program this Fall. Visit our Advanced
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Summer 2025 edition of the APF newsletter! We are thrilled to reconnect with our alumni and provide updates on our flourishing program here at the Anschutz Medical Campus.
This edition will highlight an exciting milestone as we warmly welcome our 140th - 145th fellows into the University of Colorado Hospital Medicine family. Each of them brings a unique background, energy, and passion for advanced practice, and we’re thrilled to have them begin their journeys with us. As we look ahead to a new chapter, we also pause to say a heartfelt goodbye to our Assistant Director, Rudy, whose leadership, mentorship, and unwavering support have shaped this program in countless ways. Rudy, thank you for your dedication and all you’ve given to our fellows and faculty—you will be deeply missed.
We also are excited to share stories of new curriculum and development of our program, including our award winner faculty and our APP lead POCUS curriculum.
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @cuhospmedapf to keep up with the program!
Best, APF Leadership Team
Frannie
Lorenzi, MMS, PA-C; Brian Wolfe, MD; Erin Szemak, AGACNP-BC; Kelsey Keil, M.Ed.
APF Co-Associate Director on to new Adventures LEADERSHIP CHANGE
Rudy Moravek, PA-C
Before I was accepted into my Physician Assistant training program, I held a passion for education. Due to this, it seemed natural to apply for a spot in the Advanced Practice Fellowship in Hospital Medicine. During my 13 months in fellowship, I was pushed by faculty whose main goal was to help me build the foundation I felt was needed to grow as a provider in Hospital Medicine. After I completed the fellowship, I had the honor of joining faculty and continued to pursue my passion for education through teaching which included didactic sessions for both the APF and CHA/PA. My role with the APF expanded when I joined the leadership team as one of the Associate Directors, through which I had the pleasure of working with a phenomenal leadership team to continue to grow and develop the APF.
While my time at the bedside has been invaluable, I have always been pulled towards education. Over the years this has been satisfied with providing lectures to CHA/PA where I have had the privilege of working with other passionate educators. Through extensive self-reflection, I have come to realize it is time for me to transition from bedside care and education to the classroom, where I will have the chance to train future Physician Assistants. While I am sad to be stepping away from the APF, I am grateful for the time I got to spend with the amazing providers who make it what it is, that includes not only the leadership team consisting of Brian Wolfe, Frannie Lorenzi, Erin Szemak and Kelsey Keil, but every fellow who has gone on the same journey I did years ago.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Ben Haerther PA-C
As a PA student, one of Ben’s most formative rotations was with the DHM group, where he had the opportunity to work alongside APP fellows and witness firsthand how this fellowship could launch a successful and fulfilling career in medicine. The most valuable part of his fellowship experience was the immense personal and professional growth he experienced, particularly in building confidence in his clinical knowledge and the care he provided to patients. He also learned to embrace flexibility, adapting to the diverse workflows and perspectives of over 100 attendings and APPs throughout the year.
His advice to incoming fellows is to fully engage in the countless opportunities offered—this year will be one of the most formative in your career! Prioritize selfcare, as a balanced lifestyle enhances both patient care and your learning, and don’t forget to give yourself grace—mistakes are inevitable, but they are essential to your development.
The fellowship equipped Ben with the skills and resilience needed for his current role. As a faculty member, Ben has stayed involved through lecturing and precepting incoming fellows, helping shape the next generation of APPs. This year, he’s been honored with the UCH Medical Staff Bedside Manner Award! We are so proud of his accomplishments. Great job, Ben!
UPCOMING APF SEPTEMBER 2025 COHORT
Meghan Books, NP
Meghan is from Castle Rock, CO. She earned her BSN from Bob Jones University in South Carolina and her MSN from Emory University. Before starting the fellowship, she worked as an RN for 12 years primarily on an orthopedic & spine post-surgical unit. Outside of work she enjoys reading, baking, gardening, and playing
piano. If she wasn’t in healthcare, she would be a flower farmer and florist.
Molly Kirscher, NP
Molly earned her BSN from Regis University in 2018 and has worked as an ICU nurse at Advent Health Littleton. She recently completed her Master of Science in Nursing at CSU Pueblo, earning dual certification as an AGACNP and a Family Nurse Practitioner. In her free time she likes to run, hike, dance, read and has a love for travel, with recent trips to India and Sweden. She is pursuing this fellowship to continue developing her skills and to provide high-quality, compassionate care to patients.
Mark Macapagal, PA-C
Mark Macapagal is excited to join the September cohort of the APF Fellowship! A recent graduate of the University of Colorado’s PA program, he’s especially thrilled to return to the HMS service after having his favorite clinical rotation there during school with some truly phenomenal mentors. Outside of work, he enjoys everything
outdoors—from hiking and rock climbing to skiing and scuba diving. Once you meet him, feel free to ask for some of the cutest dog pictures ever, featuring him, his girlfriend Annie, and their best friend Henry. He’s really looking forward to learning with and from everyone this year!
UPCOMING APF SEPTEMBER 2025 COHORT
Jack Schultz, PA-C
Jack is originally from York, PA. He recently earned his Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) from the University of Colorado. During his time at CU, he completed the inpatient adult medicine (CHANGE) track, which deepened his passion for hospital medicine. Outside of medicine, Jack enjoys crossword puzzles,
volleyball, hiking, skiing, and road trips. He’s especially excited to build strong connections with his cohort of fellows and to learn from the diverse and experienced faculty at CU.
Jacqueline Toomey, NP
Jackie recently graduated with her MS in Nursing as an AGNCNP from the University of Colorado. Before starting this new chapter, she worked as a Clinical Education Resource Nurse and as a bedside RN in cardiac and medical critical care. She was drawn to the Hospital Medicine Fellowship for its supportive mentorship and
the chance to continue learning in a collaborative environment while caring for a diverse group of patients. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband, their 1-year-old daughter, and their 2 dogs. She’s also an avid horseback rider and enjoys exploring Colorado and trying out new recipes in the kitchen.
Nicole Wood, PA-C
Nicole is from Lexington, KY, and earned my BS in Kinesiology from the University of Kentucky. Before PA school, she spent several years working in various medical settings as a technician and MA. In August 2024, she graduated from Lincoln Memorial University with my MMS in PA Studies. She chose this fellowship to build
on her training in a specialty she is really passionate about—and to connect with the Colorado community. She’s especially excited for the mentorship and well-rounded clinical experiences ahead. Outside of work, she enjoys weightlifting, longboarding, yoga, cooking, reading, spending time in nature, and hanging out with friends, family, and her tuxedo cat, Mystery.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Curriculum CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT: POCUS
In recent years, POCUS has become an emerging field within Internal Medicine, and specifically Hospital Medicine. As part of the POCUS core faculty, we are passionate about POCUS and believe that it has the power to improve patient care, a belief that is now well supported by evidence. Our hospitalist group is committed to integrating POCUS into our practice and to advance the education of all learners in this area. To this end, we launched a brand-new curriculum for introducing bedside ultrasound basics to APFs in AY24/25.
The curriculum focuses briefly on the physics of ultrasound imaging and then expands to image acquisition techniques, as well as interpretation and clinical integration. The series of lectures starts during Bootcamp, followed by afternoon lectures on Lung POCUS and Abdominal POCUS later in the year. APF didactic education on POCUS culminates in a final Monday Education Day, where fellows go through images and clinical scenarios before heading to the hospital to scan real patients. We hope that our excitement and passion for the regular application of POCUS at the bedside gets stoked among each of the APF cohorts as we refine and expand our mission.
Learn more about our POCUS Program in Hospital Medicine
CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT: POCUS
Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) PA Co-Leads
Elri Duncan is a Physician Assistant, Academic Hospitalist, and Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center. She completed her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at Western University of Health Sciences in California in 2014 and started her clinical career in community hospital medicine. Since her appointment at the DHM in 2019, she has been integrally involved in the Medicine Procedure Service. She served as part of the inaugural APP cohort of core faculty for MPS, which is where she was first exposed to the utility of bedside POCUS. She has also assisted in teaching lung ultrasound workshops organized by the Clinical POCUS Co-Directors and facilitated similar workshops at the 2023 AAPA Hospitalist Bootcamp. Additionally, she is a regular facilitator for CHAPA and IMRP clinical POCUS workshops. She is especially interested in the expansion of POCUS education and credentialing to APFs, and ultimately throughout UCH, while maintaining optimal quality control via standardized quality metrics.
Andrea King is a Physician Assistant, Academic Hospitalist and Instructor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She completed her PA training with a Master’s in Medical Sciences at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona. After moving back to Colorado, she spent a brief time practicing Orthopedics before spending an additional year training in the APP Hospitalist Medicine Fellowship here at the University of Colorado at Anschutz. Since then,
she has been hired as a faculty member for the Division of Hospital Medicine as well as a core faculty member for the Procedure Service. She took a keen interest in POCUS while learning ultrasound-guided procedures and has since progressed and broadened her skill set. She enjoys teaching POCUS to faculty and learners in the hospital as well as at national conferences. She is especially interested in clinical decision making with the integration of bedside POCUS.
Elri Duncan, PA-C
Andrea King, PA-C
