As part of its annual conference on September 25, the Office of Advanced Practice (OAP) at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital recognized eight advanced practice providers (APPs) — including three from the CU Anschutz Department of Surgery — with 2025 OAP Awards.
Leading the way
Taking home the OAP Excellence in Leadership Award was JoLynn Shinsako, PA-C, MS, a physician assistant in the Division of Transplant Surgery and associate vice chair of clinical affairs for APPs.
“JoLynn's ability to unify diverse teams and navigate complex operational change speaks to her rare and inspiring leadership style,” said one of Shinsako’s nominators for the award. “She leads with humility, strength and vision, consistently empowering those around her and championing the value of advanced practice providers throughout UCHealth and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.”
Shinsako, who has been with the Department of Surgery since 2019, helped build the Nocturnal Surgical Subspecialty Program, a group of 14 APPs who take care of cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery, burn surgery, urology, and plastic surgery patients during the nighttime hours.
“I was brought on to build this team, which didn't exist before,” she says. “It was one of the highlights of my career to be able to build it out. I rely on my team to communicate with me when there are issues, and I love supporting them.”
In addition to overseeing the nighttime service and attending to her own patients, Shinsako has additional responsibilities as associate vice chair of clinical affairs, supporting APPs with staffing models, legislative changes, and data capture.
“There was a lack of APP voices at the executive table in the Department of Surgery, so this position was created,” she says. “Anything that is related to clinical care, whether that be a question about staffing models, a question about legislation — any division that needs support will come to me and I'll either build out a team or provide them the correct resources. I connect with our leaders, figure out where the opportunities exist for improvement, and then I work with our executive level and our analysts to create systems where we can capture data and then make effective change.”
Importance of education
The OAP Educator of the Year Award went to Miranda “Randi” Strom, AGACNP-BC, a nurse practitioner in transplant surgery.
“Randi is a constant presence in the clinical learning environment,” wrote one of Strom’s nominators for the award. “Every shift I work with her, she is precepting — whether it be students, new APPs, or APP fellows — offering her time, expertise, and encouragement with unwavering commitment. Her mentorship has left a lasting impact on countless learners who have benefited from her guidance.”
Strom created and continues to coordinate the Transplant Surgery APP Grand Rounds, monthly educational sessions featuring expert lecturers from hepatology, nephrology, the surgical trauma intensive care unit, transplant surgery, and other areas.
“I did a 13-month fellowship in hospital medicine, and I saw the passion people had for teaching,” says Strom, who has been part of the Department of Surgery for the past four years. “On a surgical team, we don't always have that time, because our surgeons who are rounding have to get to the operating room. There are a lot of knowledge gaps and not a lot of opportunity for education. I had the idea to start doing monthly grand rounds, getting expert speakers to present to our team about topics that we see a lot in our patients.”
Strom also is in charge of onboarding new hires, a process she says is vital to the team’s success.
“If you make sure they have the support they need while they're onboarding, and we make sure that we're hitting all the big knowledge points, then it's going to make them more successful and make the team more successful,” she says. “We offer check-ins every couple of weeks with the person onboarding, and that's their time to say what went well, what didn't go well, how they like to be taught, what they need in the future. We want everyone to be on the same page to know how we can set this person up for success.”
Quality care
Frankie Macri, PA-C, a physician assistant in the Division of GI, Trauma, and Endocrine Surgery, received the OAP Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice.
“Frankie exemplifies the highest standards of advanced practice through her clinical expertise, passionate patient care, and unwavering professionalism,” wrote one of Macri’s nominators for the award. “As an experienced PA, she has become an unofficial leader in the surgical trauma ICU, consistently demonstrating exceptional knowledge, preparation, and enthusiasm in the care of our most critically ill patients. She is known not only for her sharp clinical acumen but also for her unrelenting dedication to patient advocacy, teamwork, and peer mentorship.”
Macri, who has been part of the Department of Surgery since 2020, takes care of patients in the surgical trauma ICU — a task she approaches with a cultivated sense of empathy.
“I often think about what it would feel like to be on the receiving end — if that was someone from my close family,” she says. “I think of being the person sitting on a couch who sees a lot of people coming in and out of the room but doesn't know what's going on, how powerless you feel. That helps me to take a step back and be patient and make sure that people understand what's going on and why. I’m in a place where I can provide a lot of comfort for families in a very unpredictable and chaotic time.”
In addition to her clinical duties, Macri also created a multidisciplinary code simulation training, using a mannequin, to give residents and fellows a lower-stakes way to practice the procedures they would perform on a patient whose heart has stopped.
“They would have to work through it like it's a real patient,” she says. “It helped improve communication and collaboration among the team here. I wanted to help people feel more comfortable during emergencies, because they happen so often.”
Macri says she is grateful to receive an OAP Award, but she is quick to credit her team for her success.
“We have a really close-knit ICU team, and I enjoy working with our attendings,” she says. “I like the teaching aspects and the exchange of information. People come from all different backgrounds, and the residents often know things that we don't know. It’s great having a solid team that you can rely on, in addition to always being challenged and feeling like you learn every single day that you're at work.”
