• Master of Sciences
  Cell Biology
  University of Denver
  Denver, CO
  1987 – 1989
• Bachelor of Sciences
  Cellular / Molecular Biology
  Fort Lewis College
  Durango, CO
  1982 – 1986

• 2018 – Present: Program Director and Chair of PA Program
  Rocky Vista University
• 2016 – Present: Associate Professor of PA Studies
  Rocky Vista University
• 2016 – 2018: Associate Program Director, Director of Didactic Education
  Rocky Vista University, Physician Assistant Studies
• 2013 – 2016: Associate Director, Didactic Curriculum
  University of Colorado Denver, Child Health Associate / Physician Assistant Program
• 2012 – 2016: Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
  University of Colorado Denver

• 2002-2006; 2007-2010; 2012: Physician Assistant
  National Jewish Health, Pediatric Outpatient Clinic
• 2008 – 2013: Associate Director of Curriculum
  University of Colorado Denver, Child Health Associate / Physician Assistant Program
• 2005 – 2012: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
  University of Colorado Denver

• 2005 – 2012: Regular Faculty Appointment
  University of Colorado Denver, Graduate School

• 2001 – 2009: Academic Coordinator
  University of Colorado Denver, Child Health Associate / Physician Assistant Program
• 2001 – 2005: Instructor, Department of Pediatrics
  University of Colorado Denver

• 2001 – 2005: Special Faculty Appointment
  University of Colorado Denver, Graduate School
• 2000 – 2001: Physician Assistant
  Westminster Family Practice
• 1998 – 2000: Physician Assistant
  Broomfield Family Practice
• 1998: Physician Assistant
  Exempla Arvada Healthcare
• 1996 – 1997: Physician Assistant
  Northwest Family Medicine, PC
• 1992 – 1993: Clinical Research Associate / Project Manager
  Pharmatech, Inc.
• 1991 – 1992: Clinical Research Coordinator / Lab Researcher II
  National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine

Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Member, Associate Dean of Student Affairs Search Committee – RVU (May 2020)
• Member, Provost Search Committee – RVU (March 2020)
• Chair, Faculty Awards Committee – RVU (January 2020)
• Member, Faculty Workload Task Force – RVU (December 2019)
• Member, Faculty Evaluation Task Force – RVU (March 2019)
• Member, Faculty Awards Committee – RVU (March 2019)
• Member, Faculty Rank and Promotions Committee – RVU (Jan 2019)
• Member, Research Advisory Council – RVU (Sept 2018-Jan 2019)
• Member, Research Advisory Council – RVU (Sept 2018-Jan 2019)
• Member, Institutional Curriculum Committee – RVU (May 2018-May 2019)
• Chair, Curriculum Committee, Physician Assistant Program (2017 – Present)
• Admissions Committee, Physician Assistant Program (2017 – Present)
• Curriculum Mapping Task Force (2016 – Present)
• Accreditation Criteria Task Force (2017)
• Simulation Education Task Force, Curriculum Integration Subcommittee (2016 – Present)

University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus

• Invited member, Interprofessional Education (IPE), Evaluation and Assessment Advisory Committee (2013 – 2016)
• Organizational Infrastructure Task Force (2012)
• Learner Life Task Force (2012)
• Faculty Professionalism Task Force (2010 – 2013)
• AMC Assessment Committee (2010 – 2016)
• Kaiser Interprofessional Rural Training Committee (2010 – 2012)
• Accommodation Liaison Committee, Disability Services Office (2008 – 2016)
• Ethics Steering Committee, Department Interdisciplinary Course (2001 – 2016)

University of Colorado Denver Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant Program

• Mid-Level Reviewer, Program Faculty (2009-2016)
• Mentor, CHA/PA Junior Faculty Member, President’s Teaching and Learning Collaborative (2013 – 2014, 2015 – 2016)
• Student Honor and Conduct Council (2013 – 2015, 2015 – 2016)
• Liaison to UCD AMC Campus Assessment, Response & Evaluation (CARE) Team (2014 – 2016)
• Member, Student Assessment Committee (2008-2009, 2013-2016)
  Chair (2009-2011, 2011-2013)
• Evaluation Committee (2008, 2009-2012)
• Faculty Search Committee (2010)
  Chair (2008)
• Faculty Advisor, Honor Council (2009 – 2012)
• Chair, Faculty Professionalism Subcommittee (2004)
• Student Promotions Committee (2001-2016)
• Admissions Committee (2001-2016)
• Self-Study Committee (2001-2016)
• Curriculum Committee (2001-2016)
• Scholarship Committee (2001-2016)

Miscellaneous

• Peer Reviewer, Journal of Physician Assistant Education (2008-present)
• Moderator and Peer Reviewer, Physician Assistant Education Association Conferences (2004-2013; 2016-present)
• Peer Reviewer, Physician Assistant Education Association (2006-20012; 2016-present)
• Chair, Conference Curriculum Council, Physician Assistant Education Association (2016-2017)
• Education Committee, Physician Assistant Education Association (2006-2008, 2009-2010)
• Reviewer, Peter J. Nyquist Award for PA Students (2006)
• Peer Reviewer, Advance for Physician Assistants (2005)
• “PA Day” Planner, Colorado Academy of Physician Assistants (2000)

• Physician Assistant Education Association
  Institutional Colleague: 2016 – present
  Member Faculty: 2001 – 2016
• Colorado Academy of Physician Assistants
  Board Member at Large: 1998 – 2000
  Fellow: 1996 – Present
  Student: 1993 – 1996
• American Academy of Physician Assistants
  Fellow: 1996 – Present
  Student: 1993 – 1996

• Johnson, L, Ruff, C. “Integrated Assessment in a Competency-based Didactic Curriculum”, Virtual Poster,International Association of Medical Science Educators conference, Denver, CO, 2020.
• Solanyk, D, Solanyk, S, Johnson, L, Ruff, C. – “Milestones and Progress – the RoadMAP to Success”; accepted, conference canceled, Physician Assistant Education Western Consortium conference; Palo Alto, CA, April 2020.
• Neguse, S, Lambarri, W, Ruff, C. “The use of Rubrics to Assess Learner Progression in Clinical Skills in a Competency-based Curriculum; accepted, conference canceled, Physician Assistant Education Western Consortium conference; Palo Alto, CA, April 2020.
• Ruff, C.  Solanyk, D, Eckhardt, D, Neguse, S, Poole, A, Kasperski J, Johnson, L.  “Measuring Learner Progress during Pre-Clinical Training using a Competency-based Approach” (30-min solo presentation); accepted, conference canceled, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine annual education conference.   Washington, DC, March 2020.
• Ruff, C. Solanyk, D. “Determining Points of Entrustment to Assess Competence” (Focused Discussion); Physician Assistant Education Association annual education forum; Washington, DC, October 2019
• Ruff, C.  Bondy, MJ, Zedaker, J.  “Competency-based Medical Education: A tale of 3 Programs” (panel presentation; Invited Speaker); Physician Assistant Education Association annual education forum; Washington, DC, October 2019
• Ruff C, Nickell D. Designing a Milestone and Progress Grid to Illustrate Learner Performance in a Physician Assistant Program. (oral presentation) Association of Medical Educators in Europe, 2nd Annual World Summit on Competency Based Medical Education, annual conference; Basel, Switzerland, August 2018.
• Ruff C. The 2016 PAEA Education Forum – Minneapolis, Here we Come! PAEA Networker. July 27, 2016.
• Ruff C. The 2016 PAEA Education Forum – Strategies for a Stellar Education Forum. March 16, 2016.
• Ruff C. Item Contributor for Infectious Disease and Pulmonary Examination Questions. Certification & Recertification Examination Review Course – Online Version. Offered through mycme.com, Haymarket Media, Inc.
• Ruff C (2014). Chapter and Test Item Reviewer – Pulmonology. O’Connell, C. Ed. A Comprehensive Review for the Certification and Recertification Examinations for Physician Assistants. 5^th ed., Walters Kluwer Health.
• Ruff C, Bowser J (2014). Student Mistreatment during Physician Assistant Training (poster abstracts). Journal of the Physician Assistant Education Association, 25(1): 26.
• Ruff C (2012).  An Educational Strategy for Utilizing Physician Assistant Students to Provide Health Promotion Education to Community Adolescents. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 23(1):34-37.
• Ruff C (2012). Evaluating and managing pediatric food allergy. Clinical Advisor, 23-29.
• Robohm C, Ruff C (2012). Diagnosis and treatment of the common cold in pediatric patients. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 25(12):43-47.
• Ruff C (2010). Item Contributor for Gastrointestinal and Pulmonary Examination Questions and Item Reviewer. O’Connell and Zarbock. Eds. A Comprehensive Review for the Certification and Recertification Examinations for Physician Assistants. 4^th ed., Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.
• Ruff C, Robohm C (2010). Student-designed Portable Health Promotion Presentations: Service Learning through Community Education (poster abstracts). Western Group on Educational Affairs – Regional Conference.
• Ruff C, Gray J, Arthur M, Merenstein G (2006). Development and Outcomes of a Rural Track within a Primary Care (Pediatric) Physician Assistant Program. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 17(4):37-41.
• Ruff C, Robohm C (2005). Creating Portable Presentations for Educating Adolescents – Cooperative Learning for PA Students (poster abstracts). Perspective on Physician Assistant Education, 16(2):125-134.
• Ruff C, Glicken A, Merenstein G (2005). Faculty Professionalism – a code of conduct (poster abstracts). Association for Medical Education in Europe, 2(2.12):37.
• Ruff C (2005). Educating Adolescent Patients. Perspective on Physician Assistant Education, 16(1):59-60.
• Christy C, Deden M, Snyder J.A (1995). Localization of kinetochore fragments isolated from single chromatids in mitotic CHO cells. Protoplasma, 186:193-200.
• Snyder JA, Armstrong L, Christy C, McLelland S (1988). Cine’ and Computer Analysis of Sucrose-Induced Spindle Elongation in PtK-1 cells (abstract). Journal of Cellular Biology.

Presentations

• “Designing a Competency-Based Curriculum using EPAs”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual education forum
  2017
• “Proposal Review Process”
  Webinar for Physician Assistant Education Association
  2017
• “Developing a Capstone Project around Systems-Based Practice”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual education forum
  2015
• “Developmental Clinical Evaluations: How do we Assess Students over Time?”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual education forum
  2015
• “Providing Formative Feedback: Trials and Tribulations”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2014
• “Student Mistreatment during Physician Assistant Training”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2013
• “The Appreciative Inquiry Curriculum Retreat: Encouraging Positive Change”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2013
• “Strategies for Implementing Interprofessional Education”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2012
• “Holistic Admissions – Overcoming Challenges of Implementation into PA School Admissions Processes”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2012
• “A Role in the SAC: Interprofessional Student Academic Communities Promote Positive Collaboration”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2011
• “Breaking Down the Evaluation Barriers: How to Elicit Student Feedback”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2010
• “Demystifying the Paper and Poster Submission Process”
  Physician Assistant Education Association
  2010
• “Student-designed Portable Health Promotion Presentations: Service Learning through Community Education”
  Western Group on Educational Affairs – Regional Conference
  2010
• “More than Just a Hot Date: The Use of “Speed Dating” to Critique PA Student Curriculum Vitae’s.”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2008
• “Student Self-Reflection – Keys to Professional Development: How Do Programs Utilize, Assess and Provide Feedback? ”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2008
• “Is it Time to Overhaul your Course? The Process of Restructuring a Course”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2007
• “Student-Designed Portable Health Promotions Presentations for PA Role Development: Bridging Classroom and Community”
  Physician Assistant Education Association annual educational meeting
  2006
• “Creating Portable Presentations for Educating Adolescents – Cooperative Learning for PA Students”
  Association of Physician Assistant Programs
  2005
• “Faculty Professionalism – the Other Part of the Hidden Curriculum”
  Association of Physician Assistant Programs
  2004, 2005
• “The Use of Focus Groups to Identify Health Promotions Topics in Adolescents”
  Association of Physician Assistant Programs Annual Education Forum
  2003

ABOUT CATHY:

Ms. Ruff was born in Michigan, but has been in Colorado since the age of 11. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular/Molecular Biology from Fort Lewis College, followed by a Master of Science degree in Cell Biology from University of Denver. She completed her Physician Assistant training at the University of Colorado Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant Program (CHA/PA) in 1996. In 2001, she joined the faculty of CHA/PA, holding various administrative and teaching roles including Associate Program Director of Didactic Curriculum. She also continued to practice clinically at National Jewish Health in the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic until 2012. She has been actively involved with the Physician Assistant Education Association since 2004, serving as a peer-reviewer, presenter, and chair of its education council over the course of 13 years.

Ms. Ruff’s professional interests are in curriculum design and student and program assessment. She says that she was drawn to RVU because of the challenge of establishing a new PA program, learning all aspects of program development, and for the opportunity to continue to grow the PA profession.

She is married with two children—one is an aspiring author and the other is a gifted bassoon player. She loves spending time with her family, reading, all forms of music, the outdoors, and walking/hiking with her two dogs.