Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, October 19, 2018

Newsmakers: Case named to national AAMA post




Chattanooga’s Monica Case, a certified medical assistant, has been installed as the 2018-20 vice speaker of the house for the American Association of Medical Assistants.

The CMA credential represents a medical assistant who has been credentialed through the Certifying Board of the AAMA.

Medical assisting is one of the nation’s careers growing much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Medical assistants work in outpatient health care settings. Employers are seeking and recruiting these allied health professionals because of their uniquely diverse clinical and administrative patient-centered training.

“It is truly an honor and privilege to serve this association and the medical assisting profession during a time when innovations in health care are continually evolving,” Case says. “The CMA sets the bar for medical assisting excellence and plays a vital part in delivering quality health care while ensuring patient safety.”

Case brings a great deal of experience to her office. She graduated from the medical assisting program of Chattanooga State Community College in 1987 and is serving on the advisory board. Case has been a practicing certified medical assistant since 1989. She’s been employed for 27 years by Chattanooga Family Practice working directly for Robert Drake, M.D., as section leader.

Case has served in many capacities for the AAMA, including as a member of the Leadership Development Strategy Team; Partnership and Assessment-Based Certificate task forces; and Strategic Issues Planning, Maxine Williams Scholarship, Research and Development, Awards, Nominating, and Constituent Societies committees. Case has also been a delegate to the AAMA Annual Conference and president of the Tennessee Society of Medical Assistants and the Chattanooga Chapter of Medical Assistants.

UTC’s Grant wins Emerging Leader award

Jeffrey Grant, an alumnus of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and a staffer at the UTC Center for Professional Education, has won the South Region Emerging Leader award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association.

The annual award goes to “a relative newcomer in the field of adult and continuing education who has made an outstanding contribution to his or her organization, to UPCEA, and/or to the profession as a whole,” according to UPCEA.

Under organization rules, in addition to having less than five years’ experience in the field, honorees must have demonstrated leadership qualities including “clarity of vision, courageous decision-making, promotion of values and ethics and political acumen.”

In nominating Grant for the award, UTC Center for Professional Education Director John Freeze cited Grant’s professionalism, strategic thinking and dedication to his work, a commitment to his own professional development and a passion for facilitating success in others.

“As someone who lives out his belief in the value of continuing education and professional development, Jeff is a great ambassador for UTC and the Center for Professional Education,” Freeze says. “Jeff’s talent and enthusiasm for enabling others to achieve professional growth are valuable assets to the center and its clients.”

Grant graduated summa cum laude from UTC in December 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in both English and psychology. As an undergraduate, Grant was chairman of the Campus Activities Board’s diversity and awareness committee.

He also completed two internships as an undergraduate, working on communication and prevention education with the Chattanooga CARES HIV Resource Center and in technical writing with Rapid Retail Management System.

As a UTC senior, Grant was inducted into Mortar Board Honor Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society. He is a native of Maryville.