CU Division of Hospital Medicine Presents:
APF Advanced Practice Fellowship Summer Newsletter
July 2026
Meet the incredible individuals on our Advanced Practice Fellowship Leadership Team!
Check out our previous newsletter and some recent highlights from our program. Have a candidate recommendation? Send over a referral! Welcoming
Help us welcome the newest member of our APF Leadership team and learn about the exciting experience and ideas he plans to bring.
An innovative clinician-educator pathway designed to develop the next generation of APP academic leaders.
Catch us at the 2026 APPAP/APGAP Joint APP Fellowship Conference this September in Chicago, IL.
We’re pursuing Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation (APPFA®) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in August 2026.
Meet our March 2026 Cohort, Natalia Brennan, PA-C and Monica Teichert, DNP, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC.
A message from our Education Program Principal Professional, Kelsey Keil, M.Ed, and a chance to read past APF newsletters.
RECENT HAPPENINGS
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 with any interested candidates: 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!
BUILDING THE FUTURE OF THE APF
Welcome Our New APF Leadership Team
As mentioned in our January newsletter, the Advanced Practice Fellowship has entered an exciting new chapter with a reimagined leadership structure designed to better support our mission, vision, values, and most importantly, the fellows we serve.
While Brian Wolfe’s departure left big shoes to fill, it also created an opportunity to think boldly about the future of the fellowship. Rather than simply replacing a role, we took the opportunity to intentionally redesign our leadership model, building a team that reflects the remarkable growth, maturity, and national impact of the APF.
For the first time in the history of the fellowship, both Co-Director and CoAssociate Director positions are held by Advanced Practice Providers. This milestone reflects our deep commitment to ensuring APP voices are represented at every level of leadership and underscores our belief that those who have lived the fellowship experience are uniquely positioned to shape its future. Our new structure is intentionally built with innovative, passionate, and supportive educators who bring complementary strengths and a shared vision for excellence.
Together, this leadership team represents far more than a change in organizational structure; it reflects an investment in the future of the APF. By bringing together diverse perspectives, complementary expertise, and a shared passion for developing exceptional APP hospitalists, we have created a leadership model that is agile, collaborative, and intentionally designed to meet the evolving needs of our fellows and our profession.
We are incredibly excited for what lies ahead and remain deeply committed to cultivating the next generation of APP leaders, educators, scholars, and clinicians.
A NEW ERA OF LEADERSHIP
Our Newest Leadership Addition
A Warm Welcome to Our New Co-Associate Director: Joe Gulick, PA-C
As Erin transitioned into the Co-Director role, an opportunity emerged in the Co-Associate Director role. While the applicant pool was exceptionally competitive—a true reflection of the talent, dedication, and innovation within our faculty—we are thrilled to welcome Joe Gulick, PA-C, into this position.
Joe is widely recognized as one of the division’s most gifted educators, known for creating safe, supportive learning environments where learners at every stage feel empowered to grow and thrive. His passion for teaching has earned him multiple APP Educator of the Year awards from both our division and fellowship cohorts, a testament to the profound impact he has had on countless learners.
Beyond his role within the APF, Joe serves as the Assistant Director of Education for the Division of Hospital Medicine, where he has championed numerous opportunities for APPs to teach, innovate, and showcase their scholarly work. Never content to rest on past accomplishments, he is currently completing the Teaching Scholars Program to further refine his craft and expand his educational repertoire.
Joe’s creativity, enthusiasm, and unwavering commitment to learner development make him an extraordinary addition to our leadership team, and we are incredibly excited for the vision and energy he will bring to the future of the APF.
ATLAS: APP EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Charting New Paths in APP Education and Leadership
An innovative clinician-educator pathway designed to develop the next generation of APP academic leaders.
ATLAS (APP Teaching Leadership and Academic Scholarship) is a new program for experienced faculty APPs who will dedicate one year to developing expertise as a clinician educator, while working as an interim member of the APF leadership team. Scholars receive structured mentorship, didactic content, and protected time to cultivate advanced teaching skills, educational leadership, curriculum development, and scholarship in medical education.
Throughout the year, participants will serve as clinical educators across multiple learning environments. Scholars will participate in longitudinal faculty development, conduct one-on-one guided teaching sessions with direct observation and feedback, hold regular educator office hours, and contribute to educational leadership meetings to help shape the direction of APP education within the division. They will also serve as near-peer mentors for incoming fellowship cohorts, fostering a collaborative community of academic APPs.
A central component of the program is the completion of an individualized capstone project that aligns with each fellow’s educational interests and career goals. Whether focused on curriculum development, educational innovation, faculty development, scholarship, simulation, or assessment, capstone projects are designed to create sustainable educational resources and advance the quality of APP education. By the conclusion of the program, fellows will have developed a robust educator portfolio and the skills to serve as educational leaders, mentors, and champions for APP teaching throughout their careers.
This is an annually rotating program, with our inaugural scholar to start in Fall of 2026. Interviews are currently underway, and when a candidate is selected, we will include their profile and capstone interest in a future edition of the newsletter.
If you have any questions or wish to connect about this type of innovative program in faculty development, please reach out to joseph.gulick@cuanschutz.edu.
Our Fellowship Community Takes the National Stage APP CONFERENCE
The 2026 APPAP/APGAP Joint APP Fellowship Conference will bring together postgraduate APP fellowship leaders, faculty, administrators, fellows, and alumni from across the country for three days of collaboration, innovation, and professional development in Chicago, Illinois.
Hosted jointly by the Association of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Programs (APPAP) and Association of Post Graduate APRN Programs (APGAP), the conference features sessions focused on faculty development, fellowship program growth, return on investment, learner assessment, feedback strategies, recruitment, retention, and educational best practices for APP postgraduate training programs. The conference also includes interactive pre-conference workshops, networking opportunities, and presentations designed for both emerging and experienced fellowship leaders.
We are especially proud of the strong representation from our own fellowship community at this year’s conference. Frannie Lorenzi will serve as Course Director for the conference, helping lead the educational vision and overall programming for this national event. Erin Szemak, Joe Gulick, and Laura Erdman are leading the pre-conference workshop on Faculty Development! In addition, Lexie Gallant will present wellness initiatives and learner support. These fellowship alumni will be featured throughout the conference, highlighting the continued impact of our graduates within the APP fellowship community. Their involvement reflects the strength of our fellowship network and our continued commitment to advancing excellence in APP postgraduate education on a national level.
PURSUING ACCREDITATION
Pursuing Accreditation, Strengthening Excellence
Our fellowship program will be pursuing Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation (APPFA®) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in August 2026. APPFA accreditation recognizes excellence in post graduate education programs for nurse practitioners and physician assistants and establishes nationally recognized, interprofessional standards for postgraduate APP fellowship training. The accreditation process evaluates key domains including program leadership, curriculum design, learner development, evaluation processes, and outcomes assessment to ensure fellows are receiving a high-quality educational experience grounded in evidence-based practice.
As part of this process, our program – along with a few other programs in our system - has been actively engaged in reviewing the APPFA standards, completing readiness and gap analyses, strengthening program evaluation processes, and aligning our curriculum with national best practices in APP postgraduate education. Pursuing APPFA accreditation reflects our ongoing commitment to providing a structured, supportive, and academically rigorous fellowship experience that prepares APP fellows for safe, independent practice in complex clinical environments. We are excited to continue this work and look forward to participating in the August 2026 application cycle.
INTRODUCING OUR MARCH COHORT
Welcome March 2026 APF Cohort!
We’re thrilled to have Natalia and Monica join our March 2026 Cohort. With a few months under their belt, we’re excited about this small but mighty cohort. Learn more about them below!
Natalia Brennan, PA-C
Natalia is from Berkley, California and earned her PA degree from Duke University in 2025. Previously she worked as a OB/GYN Medical Assistant from 2019-2023. Outside of work she enjoys cooking, traveling, dancing, volleyball, card and board games, visiting local farmer’s markets, and exploring new parks and trails. If she wasn’t in healthcare, she would like to work in Marine Biology!
Monica Teichert, DNP, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC
Monica is from Nampa, Idaho and has degrees from Boise State University (BSN), the University of Wyoming (Doctor of Nursing Practice), and the University of Colorado (Post-Doctorate Acute Care Certificate). She has worked in cardiac, surgery, as an ICU RN, and as a Family Nurse Practitioner for the last 7 years. When she is not working she enjoys competitive horse sports, being with her dogs, running, exercising, and anything outdoors. If she wasn’t in healthcare, she would either be in the fashion industry or work as a horse and dog trainer!
