Leadership
2025–2026 Board of Directors
SPOCUS has brought together clinicians and students from many specialties, practices, and walks of life, all united in their passion for point-of-care ultrasound. We are fortunate to have a board of directors comprised of experienced practitioners with skills and knowledge in the practice, education, and administration of point-of-care ultrasound.
Jonathan Hill, MMSc, PA-C
President
Jonathan Hill, MMSc, PA-C is a certified Physician Assistant and the Director of Clinical Education at Mercer University's Physician Assistant Studies Program in Atlanta, GA. He lives in Statham, GA, and actively practices in Emergency Medicine, with previous clinical experience in inpatient pulmonary/critical care and urgent care. Jonathan's involvement with SPOCUS began as a student competitor in the iScan competition. Inspired by that experience, he went on to serve as a volunteer and member before joining the SPOCUS Board in 2025. In addition to his academic and clinical work, he teaches POCUS at Mercer and has delivered lectures and workshops at both the state and national level. As a SPOCUS leader, Jonathan is committed to growing membership, engaging students, and advancing the integration of point-of-care ultrasound across all areas of medicine.
Daniel Sturm
Past President
Daniel Sturm is a physician assistant and full-time faculty member at Butler University. He currently works part-time in an urgent care setting and has a primary care background working in family and internal medicine. Daniel graduated from Midwestern University, Downer's Grove campus in 1997. His passion for ultrasound began to grow a few years ago when he joined SPOCUS and was tasked with implementing ultrasound into the PA curriculum at Butler University. He has served as a House of Delegate member for the Indiana Chapter for the past 3 years. Previously, he was the chair of the Indiana Academy of Physician Assistants and was instrumental in planning an annual CME conference and helped develop a student track for this conference. In addition, he serves as the faculty advisor for the Butler student ISCAN ultrasound team.
Jeremy Gerber, DMSc, MSM, PA-C
President-Elect
Jeremy Gerber is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University PA program, and he developed a passion for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and medical education while practicing in Emergency Medicine. Since 2021, he has worked full time in PA education, serving as a faculty member at two PA programs in Tennessee, where he spearheaded the implementation of longitudinal POCUS curricula. Currently, he serves as full-time didactic faculty at South College Nashville PA program. He has had the privilege of instructing students and providers at ultrasound workshops at the regional, state, and national levels.
Cynthia C. Bennett, OBGYN
Director at Large
Dr. Bennett is a board-certified OB/GYN who attended medical school at The University of North Carolina School of Medicine and residency at the University of Florida/Shands Teaching Hospital. After leaving clinical practice, Dr. Bennett joined the faculty of Elon University's Department of Physician Assistant Studies, where she is an Associate Professor. She is excited about the possibilities that POCUS education brings for PA students and has loved both training in POCUS herself and teaching her students the many applications of POCUS.
Jennifer Teeters, MMS, PA-C, ATC
Director at Large
I am a Physician Assistant, Athletic Trainer, and educator with a passion for teaching the next generation of healthcare providers. I currently serve as Academic Director and Associate Professor in the University of South Florida PA Program while maintaining clinical practice in Family Medicine. Over the past several years, I have developed a strong interest in point-of-care ultrasound and have led the implementation of a longitudinal POCUS curriculum within our PA program. I enjoy exploring innovative teaching strategies, mentoring students and faculty, and helping expand the role of ultrasound in PA education and clinical practice. I am honored to serve as a Director-at-Large for SPOCUS and to support its mission of advancing POCUS education across the profession.
Tonya Kerker, MS, PA-C
Director at Large
Tonya Kerker is a faculty member at the University of Dubuque PA Program and a practicing Emergency Medicine PA. She became involved with SPOCUS through the Train-the-Trainer program in 2022 while integrating ultrasound into her institution's curriculum. Since then, she has remained active within SPOCUS, participating in the annual iScan competition at AAPA. Her interests include POCUS curriculum development and expanding ultrasound education within the PA profession. Tonya joined the Board of Directors in 2026 and looks forward to supporting the organization's mission of advancing point-of-care ultrasound education and scholarship within the PA profession.
Triston Riley, MS, PA-C
Student Director
Triston Riley, PA-C, is a recently graduated PA practicing hospital medicine in rural northern New York. He has been active in EMS since 2017 and currently serves as an Advanced EMT and Training Chief for a volunteer rescue squad. During PA school, he served as a Student Delegate in the AAAPA HOD, a student representative for NYSSPA, and participated in national initiatives focused on healthcare advocacy, rural medicine, and the future of the PA profession. He remains active in community service as a CPR instructor, EMS educator, and mentor to future healthcare professionals. Triston works to strengthen connections between students and practicing clinicians, expand access to point-of-care ultrasound education, and support leadership development among future PAs. His interests include point-of-care ultrasound, emergency medicine, rural healthcare delivery, and advancing educational opportunities that improve patient care in underserved communities.
Will Parmenter, PA-C
Director at Large
Will Parmenter is a clinical assistant professor at Indiana University with a special interest in point-of-care ultrasound education and its ability to enhance the physical exam for any clinician. He's passionate about teaching and helping learners build confidence in their bedside diagnostic skills. Before joining academia, he worked clinically in the Emergency Department and still works in the ER part-time. Outside of work, he is happily married with one daughter, and they are both the lights of his life.
Kosuke Yasukawa, MD
Director at Large
Dr. Yasukawa received his MD degree from Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Minnesota and an Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, where he also served as Chief Fellow. Dr. Yasukawa has also served at Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he was appointed as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Yasukawa's clinical interest is in a diverse spectrum of diseases; additional interests are utilization of point-of-care ultrasound, infectious diseases, and global health. His research interest centers on infectious diseases and the use of point-of-care ultrasound in hospital medicine.
Adeeb Adam, MBBS, MD, FAAP, FACEP
Director at Large
Adeeb Adam is a board-certified Pediatric Emergency Physician and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Children's Nebraska and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In his current roles, he serves as Director of Pediatric Emergency Ultrasound, Director of POCUS for the PEM Fellowship, and Associate Program Director for the PEM Fellowship. Additionally, he leads his hospital's interdisciplinary POCUS Charter Group—a cross-departmental initiative responsible for credentialing, quality assurance, image archiving, and policy development across their health system. At the national level, Dr. Adam has been an active POCUS educator and leader across multiple organizations. He has served on the leadership committee for the AAP Section of Emergency Medicine's POCUS in Pediatrics (PiP) Subcommittee and the AAP SOEM Education Subcommittee. In 2026, he was appointed Ultrasound Chair for SOEM. His national teaching portfolio includes serving as Course Director for the 2026 AAP National Conference and Exhibition POCUS Critical Competency Course in San Diego, Course Director for the RUSH Hour Workshop at the Pediatric Academic Societies Conference in Hawaii (2025), and Course Director for multiple POCUS workshops for both physician and APP audiences. What draws Dr. Adam to SPOCUS specifically is its commitment to advancing POCUS education and practice across the full breadth of healthcare providers. He has directed multiple POCUS workshops for PA students and APPs through the Creighton University PA Program, and has led the development of his institution's Difficult IV Access Team, training nurses, APPs, and physicians side-by-side in ultrasound-guided peripheral IV placement. He believes wholeheartedly that the future of POCUS is interprofessional, and SPOCUS is uniquely positioned to lead that vision.
Michael A. Mayo, DMSc, PA-C, MSPAS, EMT-P
Director at Large
Michael Mayo is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies and Director of Simulation, Interprofessional Education, and Point of Care Ultrasound at Quinnipiac University's Physician Assistant Program. In this role, Michael has developed and leads a longitudinal POCUS curriculum that follows students throughout both the didactic and clinical phases of training — progressively building competency across a broad range of POCUS examinations, procedural guidance techniques, and real-world troubleshooting. Michael is a nationally certified and state licensed Physician Assistant with active clinical practice in Cardiac Surgery and Critical Care Medicine — environments where point-of-care ultrasound is integral to rapid, high-stakes decision-making. Prior to his PA career, he practiced as a Paramedic throughout Connecticut for over a decade, building a foundation in acute and emergency care that continues to inform his clinical and educational work. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Springfield College, a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Saint Joseph, and a Doctor of Medical Science from the University of Lynchburg. He completed the Emergency Medicine Advanced Practice Provider Residency affiliated with Yale New Haven Hospital and the Yale School of Medicine.
Amy Dereczyk, PhD, PA-C
Director at Large
Amy Dereczyk is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Physician Assistant Program at the University of Detroit Mercy, where she has served in academic and leadership roles since 2008. She earned her PhD in Learning Design and Technology from Wayne State University, where her doctoral work focused on the integration of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in PA education across the United States. Amy's work sits at the intersection of clinical medicine, education, and technology, with a particular passion for preparing the next generation of clinicians to effectively utilize point-of-care ultrasound in diverse practice settings.