Faculty

The faculty for the Postgraduate Physician Surgical Residency for Physician Assistants includes the core faculty of the Intern and Resident Lectures.

Julie A. Freishlag, M.D.

The William Stewart Halstead Professor
Chair, Department of Surgery
Surgeon-in-Chief

Dr. Freischlag came to Johns Hopkins from the University of California in Los Angeles, where she was Chief of the Vascular Surgery Division and Director of the Gonda (Goldschmied) Vascular Center.

Dr. Freischlag completed her surgical residency and post residency Vascular Fellowship at UCLA. Before Dr. Freischlag returned to work at UCLA, she was Professor of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin where she served as the Vice Chair of the Vascular Surgery Section and Chief of Surgery at Zablocki VA Medical Center. See complete bio. 

Albert Chi, M.D. Assistant Professor of Trauma Surgery

Dr. Chi is the medical director for the Physician Assistant Residency Program.  He attended medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and graduated in 2003.  He did his General Surgery residency at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 2008 and completed his surgical critical care fellowship at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center from 2008-2010. Dr. Chi is a trauma surgeon whose practice includes critcal care, trauma, and acute care surgery. 

Dr. Chi also has background in biomedical engineering and a research emphasis in motor control. He currently works in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Labs, investigating innovative control strategies for advanced prosthetics, particularly in patients with upper extremity amputations who have undergone targeted muscle reinnervation. Dr. Chi is also developing human computer interface technologies for patients with spinal cord injuries utilizing only eye control of environmental and robotic devices.

In addition to his clinical interest in trauma and critcal care, he also actively participates in  medical missions to Haiti, using his expertise to help underserved areas.

Jennie McKown, MSHS, PA-C

Jennie McKown, MSHS, PA-C is Program Director of the Physician Assistant Surgical Residency and is a Physician Assistant at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the Department of Surgery. Jennie obtained her undergraduate degree in Fitness and Cardiac Rehab/Exercise Science from Ithaca College in 1996. In 2001, she earned a Master of Science in Health Science from The George Washington University Physician Assistant Program. Following her PA program,

Jennie worked in South Texas in a family practice setting. She went on to become a member of the third class of the JHH Postgraduate Surgical Residency for Physician Assistants in 2007. Ms. McKown currently is a valued member of the Vascular Surgery team in the Department of Surgery. She has been an active member of the PA residency since completing the program, and is enhusiastic about her new leadership role within the residency and Department of Surgery. 

Martha Kennedy, Ph.D., RN, ACNP

Martha Kennedy has been Education Coordinator for the Post-graduate Surgical PA Residency program since 2006. She is a Nurse Practitioner in Surgical Intensive Care at JHH, where she cares for acute and critically ill surgical patients. Martha also serves as the Co-Director for the Post-graduate Critical Care Physician Assistant Residency Program.

Martha worked in Medical Oncology for over 18 years before joining the Department of Surgery as a Nurse Practitioner in 2002. She obtained her Bachelors in Nursing from Georgetown University in 1984, as well as a Masters in Nursing (1996) and Ph.D in Nursing (2000) from University of Maryland, Baltimore. Her research interests have been in the use of pulmonary physiologic parameters for prediction of time on ventilators, sepsis management in the ICU, the role and education of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in surgical and critical care, and measures of ICU workload and cognitive burden.