Amanda Miller

Chippenham Physician Assistant Amanda Miller specializes in critical care

Amanda Miller diligently works to educate others about trauma injury prevention. Whether it’s through her days as Chippenham Hospital’s lead advanced practice provider - or through her platform as Mrs. Virginia — she is focused on critical care.

Being Mrs. Virginia differs from her daily job at a Level 1 trauma center, but it is another way to spread her outreach message, she said. She recently competed in the national Mrs. America pageant and placed in the Top 15. She also earned the title of Mrs. Congeniality, which was voted on by all of the other states.

“Trauma injury prevention is an important practice,” Miller said. “Preventing and educating about injuries we see in the hospital is the name of the game.”

She combines the use of social media with trauma surgery prevention — for example, her “Trauma Tuesdays” campaign — to increase outreach. She polls people for topics that interest them and then answers safety questions ranging from motor vehicles and car seats to ladders.

“It morphed into what can we do and how can we partner with others like EMS agencies,” she said. “It is helpful when our community hears from providers themselves.”

Miller has spoken in eight states just this year on trauma injury prevention, oftentimes advocating for issues outside of trauma surgery that affect the greater population, like opioid overdoses. Additionally, she is the only PA in the country on the national trauma guidelines committee, and the only PA board member in the country for the Association of Healthcare Social Media.

“It’s been really impactful,” she said. “Everything started right here in Richmond to be able to do that. And now that I’m back home [from the pageant], I am excited to continue to serve the Commonwealth as Mrs. Virginia and represent my Chippenham family, who is near and dear to my heart.”