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Cynthia B. Lord is the president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the only national organization to represent physician assistants in all medical and surgical specialties and all practice settings.

Ms. Lord is the program director of the Physician Assistant Program at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. She is also an assistant professor in the department of physician assistant studies, where she has taught since 1994. Ms. Lord has spent much of her career working in family medicine and within academia. She got her start in medicine as a medical technologist, more than 20 years ago.

Ms. Lord has served in a number of leadership roles within the AAPA and within her state organization, the Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants (ConnAPA). Since 1992, Ms. Lord has served as a delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates, (HOD), has chaired the External Affairs Committee of the HOD, been the graduate advisor to the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (SAAAPA), and served as a director-at-large to the HOD. Ms. Lord has taken on similar leadership roles within ConnAPA, including serving as president of ConnAPA and president of the Connecticut Physician Assistant Foundation. She has been actively involved in leadership at Quinnipiac as well, participating in leadership roles on numerous academic committees at the university.

Ms. Lord is a prolific speaker and writer who has given talks on such diverse topics as women's health issues, surviving clinical rotations, and PA leadership. Published works include "Initial Practice Patterns of Physician Assistants with Emergency Medical Services Experience," and "Breast Reconstruction Post-Mastectomy: A Woman's Choice?"

Ms. Lord received her physician associate certificate from the Yale University School of Medicine and her master of health science from Quinnipiac University. She has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the PA profession, including the ConnAPA president's award; the Connecticut Kidney Foundation Special Recognition Award; the Academic Teaching Award; and the 2008 Quinnipiac Center for Excellence in Teaching and Service to Students Award.