College of Health Sciences Alumna of the Year
Pam Harrison Chambers, PA-C ’92, M.P.H.’01
Associate professor and clinical outcomes coordinator for DMU’s physician assistant program, Pam Harrison Chambers was one of the founding members of the College of Health Sciences Alumni Board of Directors in 2005. She has continued to serve on the board and is a two-term board president. Chambers volunteers her time with DMU student activities, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Patient Services Committee, Southeast Polk High School, the Pre-PA Club at Iowa State University, Polk County 4-H and the Central Application Service for Physician Assistant Program Advisory Committee for the Physician Assistant Education Association. She also serves on one of the PA national recertifying exam committees for the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.Laura Delaney, PA-C, M.P.A.S., an instructor in the PA program, describes Chambers as a great teacher, mentor and friend whose commitment to DMU, the PA profession and education “is an understatement.” “This prestigious honor and well-earned recognition as CHS Alumna of the Year is truly expressed by Pam Harrison Chambers day in and day out, because that is just who she is and what she does,” Delaney adds. Chambers attended Iowa State University and the Marshalltown Community College School of Nursing. She was also a member of the first graduating class of DMU’s master of public health program.
College of Osteopathic Medicine Alumnus of the Year
Charles A. Finch, D.O.’94, FACOEP
A partner with Scottsdale Emergency Associates in Arizona, Charles “Chip” Finch serves on the board of directors of Stepping Stones of Hope, a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive support-based programs to grieving children, families, adults and communities. He is founder and director of Camp Paz, a Stepping Stones program that helps grieving adults and children heal together. Finch is past president and current member of the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association Board. He is past president of the DMU College of Osteopathic Medicine Alumni Association Board of Directors and of the American Lung Association of Arizona. He is also the medical director for the Salt River Fire Department. Finch is an associate clinical professor of emergency medicine and chair of the integrative medicine department at Midwestern University-Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Finch is known for helping others on a personal level. Last year, as a DMU alumni mentor, he helped open a job interview at his practice for DMU physician assistant program graduate Dan Deublin, who was hired there. He continues to consider Finch a mentor and role model. “To describe how much respect and admiration I have for Dr. Finch would simply cause me to run out of language,” Deublin says. A graduate of Arizona State University and DMU, Finch trained in emergency medicine and trauma at Maricopa Medical Center.
College of Podiatric Medicine & Surgery Alumnus of the Year
William Hal Hatchett, D.P.M.’00
A member of the DMU Board of Trustees since 2005, William Hal Hatchett is a board certified podiatric surgeon with Coastal Carolina Podiatry in Summerville, SC. As a CPMS student, Hatchett broke barriers, becoming the first CPMS student to serve as the president of the Student Government Association. He also chaired a committee responsible for creating the student honor code still in effect at the University. As an alumnus, Hatchett co-chaired the CPMS Alumni Board of Directors before becoming the first CPMS graduate to join the DMU Board of Trustees. He often takes DMU students on rotation, too. “Hal has been very dedicated to DMU in each of his levels of endeavor – student, podiatric physician and University trustee,” says James Grekin, D.O.’62, MACOI, a retired physician and chair of the DMU Board of Trustees. Hatchett earned his B.S. degree in ergonomic engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Early in 1991, months after Iraq invaded Kuwait, he deployed in one of the first U.S. military units in Operation Desert Storm. He served 10 months in Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. He has been a triathlete for several years, often participating in events that raise funds for charities. After graduating from DMU, Hatchett completed his residency program in foot, ankle and lower leg surgery at Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh.
