Meet the 2024 APC Appreciation & Excellence Awards Recipients
The Department of Internal Medicine is thrilled to announce the recipients of this year's APC Appreciation & Excellence Awards Ceremony. These awards honor advanced practice clinicians (APCs) who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to patient care and clinical excellence.
This year's honorees are:
Advanced Practice Clinical Excellence Award
- Kathryn Cary, ACHPN, APRN, DNP
- Jacob Fetzer, PA-C
- Jace Johnny, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC
- Taylor Kelso, DNP
Advanced Practice Teaching Excellence Award
Advanced practice clinicians are a vital component of any healthcare institution, and the department is proud to honor these individuals for their remarkable work as APCs.
This year, the APC Excellence Awards Committee faced the challenging task of selecting the winners from a record-breaking pool of 15 nominations. Colleagues of these awardees submitted several compelling letters of support, highlighting their exceptional patient care and in-depth knowledge of their medical specialties.
Kathryn Cary, ACHPN, APRN, DNP
Kate Cary is a nurse practitioner serving the University of Utah Supportive and Palliative Care Service. She received her bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Utah, then continued through the U for her Doctorate of Nursing Practice to become a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Her seven years in surgical/trauma critical care stoked a passion for patient advocacy and assisting patients and their families in navigating serious and chronic illnesses. She is a Utah native, and greatly enjoys being in Utah’s beautiful landscapes through hiking, climbing, and camping.
Jacob Fetzer, PA-C
Jacob Fetzer is a board-certified physician assistant working primarily with heart failure and transplant patients at the University of Utah Medical Center. In addition to managing complications related to heart failure, he is involved in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of other cardiac pathologies. He has enjoyed living in Utah for most of his life. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Utah, graduating summa cum laude. Thereafter, he completed his medical training through the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program. Prior to graduate training, Jake worked in pathology for over 6 years. He has also been involved in multiple research endeavors, including hormone receptor analysis in the setting of breast cancer. He later presented the findings of his research at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December 2009.
Jace Johnny, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC
Jace Johnny currently practices as a nurse practitioner in the Medical Intensive Care and Huntsman Intensive Care Units. He serves as adjunct faculty for the College of Nursing Adult-Gerontology Acute Care DNP program and content advisor for the Critical Care Nurse journal. Jace is originally from Elko, Nevada. He moved to Salt Lake City in 2014 after obtaining a job as a clinical nurse in the Huntsman Intensive Care Unit. He completed a nursing residency through the Huntsman Cancer Hospital and obtained dual critical care and oncology nursing certifications. Jace received a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the University of Utah in May of 2019 and is board-certified in adult-gerontology acute care. Jace is currently a Ph.D. student whose research interests include risk science, informatics, and machine learning to study critically ill adults receiving non-invasive respiratory support with the hopes of improving patient outcomes. His academic interests lie in immunology related to critically ill patients, including sepsis/septic shock, ARDS, and other pulmonary diseases. Jace is a classically trained violinist and nature enthusiast who enjoys reading, singing, running, and hiking.
Taylor Kelso, DNP
Taylor is a nurse practitioner. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Westminster College and her Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Utah. She then completed a Primary Care NP Residency at the SLC VA Medical Center before joining the Supportive Oncology & Palliative care team at Huntsman Cancer Institute two years ago. She grew up near Santa Barbara, CA, and lived in El Cajon, CA, working as an EMT between San Diego and Los Angeles. She and her husband moved to Salt Lake City in 2014 to be near family and now have a 3-year-old son with a second child on the way. She enjoys snowboarding, running, hiking, camping in their camper van, volleyball, pickleball, and yoga/meditation.
Lucas J. Waddoups, PA-C
Lucas Waddoups earned his undergraduate degree in Medical Laboratory Science, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Weber State University. He went on to complete his graduate degree at the University of Utah School of Medicine, receiving a Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies. For the past four years, Lucas has served as a full-time APC Hospitalist at the University of Utah. In addition to his clinical role, he is the Associate Director of the APC Hospital Medicine Fellowship and serves as Regional Faculty for the Weber State University Physician Assistant Program.