Gerald T Simons MPAS, DFAAPA, PA-C
Jerry is a member of the PA faculty at the Southampton campus. His family traces its Hamptons roots back to 1685. He is active in the local East End community. After working as a critical care EMT, Jerry graduated from the Cardiorespiratory Science program at Stony Brook University in 1993. While at Stony Brook, he played tennis and was active in the Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps. After working as a respiratory therapist, he enrolled in the Weill Cornell Medical PA Program, where he was president of the Student Society. After PA school, he worked in general/laparoscopic surgery and part-time in urgent care/primary care. As part of his wound care training, he became certified in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine and has cared for divers with medical issues for years. Growing up on Long Island, he also became interested in tick-borne diseases, and he has treated complex patients and worked with scientific and support groups. He is conducting an IRB-approved study on the connection between Lyme disease and fatigue. He is a founding scientific advisor for the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Regional Tick-borne Disease Research Center. View my recent presentation, offered by the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, titled "Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases - What You Need to Know," and the Stony Brook Medicine HEALTH Yeah! podcast on tick bites and tick-borne diseases.
Jerry is a long-time AAPA member and a well-known AAPA CME lecturer. He is a subject matter expert in GI conditions. He is the Chief Delegate for surgery to the AAPA legislative body, the House of Delegates. Jerry has been a two-time president of the American Association of Surgical PAs and is a long-time member of the Board. Jerry directs the AASPA national wound care workshops and pre-PA education and helps coordinate POCUS training. At the state level, he has volunteered as a secretary, CME lecturer, and committee chair for the NY State Society of PAs.
Jerry has received the March of Dimes Health Career Award, the prestigious Kirklin Award for Excellence in Surgical Skills as a PA (less than 25 have been awarded in more than 40 years), the 2024 AASPA National Preceptor of the Year award, NYSSPAs 2024 award for original research, is a past NY State Society of PAs Educator of the Year and has received more than 10 university awards for academic teaching. He has received the Fireman of the Year award from the Springs Fire Department (East Hampton, NY). In 2010, he was awarded the National Humanitarian Award by the Turn the Corner Foundation (now Global Lyme Alliance) for his dedication to treating complex Lyme disease patients. NPR, WUSB radio, the New York Times Science Section, Redbook Magazine, Shape Magazine, and Experience Life Magazine have interviewed him.
At the Southampton campus, Jerry coordinates the Surgery academic unit and clinical rotations in Surgery, and teaches many GI, microbiome, and gut-brain lectures.
His wife of more than 25 years is a Robotic Surgical Nurse, his daughter directs the NYU hackathon, and his son is a college undergraduate studying science and technology.
