North Country Orthopaedics welcomes the latest addition to their team, physician assistant Norm Dupuis PA-C, MHP. He brings with him extensive experience from working as a paramedic in Boston, working in an orthopaedic practice, to working as a physician assistant in the warzones of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Norm joins full-time orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Glen Neale, at the practice which is located on the campus of North Country Hospital.
“We are all thrilled and excited to have Norm as part of our team,” Mary Jane Manfredi said. He is a welcome addition to the operating room and a great help to all of our patients in the clinic.” Mary Jane is the practice manager at North Country Orthopaedics.
A native of Lowell, Massachusetts, Norm and his wife, Lorrie, a registered nurse, are the parents to two children. Norm's work life and service to his country began soon after high school graduation when he joined the U.S. Army as an Infantryman.
“My Dad was in the military during World War II and I always knew I was going to someday join the military,” Norm said. While serving as an infantryman he became interested in the role of medics and other healthcare providers in the military. After talking to a physician assistant serving in the Army he knew that it was the direction he wanted to take.
Fast forward, after three years in the full-time Army, Norm, while serving in the Army Reserve, went on to earn a bachelor's degree in biology from Merrimack College in Massachusetts. That was followed by his Paramedic Certification from Northeastern University in Boston. He then went on to earn a Master of Health Professions and completed his requirements to become a Physician Assistant at Northeastern.
However, he didn't obtain all of his medical experience through traditional means. He received it as an officer and a physician assistant in the warzones of Iraq and Afghanistan. As a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, Norm was attached to the 67th Combat Support Hospital in Mosul, Iraq. He served in the warzone for a year working to meet the medical needs of U.S. and Coalition troops, ranging from preventative medical care to combat related injuries. He also served as the officer in charge of medical treatment of enemy prisoners of war at a detention camp.
In December 2009 he deployed to Afghanistan, this time with the Vermont National Guard. That tour of duty lasted until September 2010. He served as the officer in charge of a forward aid station. He and his team provided preventative medical care, urgent care, and trauma management to U.S. and Coalition Forces, as well as for Afghan civilians.
“Having the privilege to serve as a medical provider in war zones has altered my life in so many ways, mostly by making me a more skillful clinician,” Norm said. “It gave me a greater understanding of the fragility of life and deeper understanding of the importance of family and friends that sometimes only can be discovered when faced with certain adversities.”
He is still an officer in the Vermont National Guard.
In addition to his military medical experience, he worked as a researcher at the Dana Farber Cancer Center, and at the Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston where he worked in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department as a Physician Assistant. He performed daily peri-operative management and assisted in surgery. His medical career eventually took him to Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington where he worked in orthopedic surgery. Then he used his medical skills at as an Orthopaedic Surgical PA at Copley Hospital in Morrisville. That is where he met and worked with Dr. Neale who now heads up North Country Orthopaedics.
“I like working with Dr. Neale,” Norm said. “I also like a small hospital like North Country. The people here, at the practice and at the hospital are wonderful. It is a great community hospital.”