Congratulations to Anthony English, MBA, PA-C for receiving Westfield State University’s 2022 Preceptor of the Year award. The award recipient is chosen by students to recognize a PA who has made a significant contribution to their education in a community practice setting. Ten Westfield State Physician Assistant students completed a four-week rotation under Anthony’s direction at BHN’s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) programs, including Springfield Opioid Treatment Program, Carlson Recovery Center, Franklin Recovery Center, and Northern Hope Center. They also worked at Mercy Medical Center Inpatient Addiction Medicine, and Tapestry Health.

Anthony received the Preceptor of the Year award during his first full year in practice as a provider and his first year precepting students. “It was an enormous honor,” said Anthony. “I love everything about the teaching process, in addition to everything about the learning process myself. The students allow me the opportunity to continue to challenge and grow my own medical knowledge.”

Anthony began working at BHN in July 2021, shortly after graduating from PA school. He credits his interest in addiction medicine to a rotation he completed at an acute treatment and clinical stabilization services program in Cummington, MA while in school. As a preceptor, Anthony engages students not only through his work as a provider but also by helping them prepare for employment and encouraging them to find a healthy balance in their life. “I review so many things with them including how to write a resume, interview, negotiate salary, maintain daily exercise with a demanding schedule, and to strive for a healthy work/life balance,” he explained.

Above all Anthony feels the most important learning aspect from this rotation is the student’s interaction with patients. “They learn that none of us are any better than the patients sitting in front of us and that being kind, compassionate, and giving the occasional hug may be even more life-changing than checking labs or starting a medication,” said Anthony.

Anthony credits the team of preceptors at BHN, Dr. Ari Kriegsman and the Addiction Medicine team at Mercy, and Annie Jenney, PA-C at Tapestry, for making the student’s rotation a robust learning experience. In their evaluation, the students praised Anthony, BHN’s Medical Director, Dr. Ruth Potee, and other BHN providers for going above and beyond to inspire them. When asked, "Would you recommend this rotation?" on their evaluation, these were some of their responses:

“BHN is a great rotation. Everyone that I met cared about my learning experience and took time out of their days to make sure that I was getting the best experience possible.”

 “I would highly recommend both Anthony English and Dr. Ruth Potee and BHN to other students. Anthony was incredibly patient as well as willing to go above and beyond to discuss addiction as well as other disease processes. Dr. Potee is incredibly knowledgeable, and you can tell loves to teach and have students. The two of them both have an incredible team that is always willing to listen to students as well as provide a fantastic learning environment. I highly recommend this preceptor and site.”

 “BHN is one of the most progressive centers in the treatment of addiction medicine in the country! They get an A+! I am so grateful for this rotation - it gave me a new perspective and taught me so much. I now know how to handle patients with substance use disorder no matter where I practice, which is invaluable as a future provider.”

“I absolutely love what I do here, and I love the team that I work with, this is my forever job,” said Anthony. “BHN is a wonderful place to work. Although working with patients with substance use disorders and mental health disorders is demanding, it is also extremely rewarding. I am brought to tears on a regular basis due to my connection with the patients. We absolutely save lives with the work that we do here at BHN.”