Tamatha Perkins, PA-C, is a growth-oriented physician associate dedicated to expanding her clinical expertise and delivering exceptional, patient-centered care. She is especially drawn to unique and austere practice settings where she can serve diverse communities, broaden her clinical scope, and contribute beyond the bedside. With a strong background in leadership and operational planning, she integrates executive skills into medical practice by supporting team development and improving healthcare delivery systems.
Born in Ohio and raised in Idaho, Perkins developed an early love for the outdoors. She spent much of her childhood riding and training horses at a local ranch, caring for her family’s horses, and enjoying hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, and exploring backcountry roads. Her interest in medicine began early; at age nine, she purchased a set of outdated medical textbooks from a retiring physician for fifty cents and read them cover to cover, sparking a lifelong passion for healthcare.
Following high school, Perkins worked shearing Christmas trees, hauling railroad ties, bucking hay, operating heavy equipment, and even competed in local rodeos. She enlisted in the United States Army and went on to serve for 30 years. Her assignments included Fort Bliss, Texas; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; and installations in Japan and Germany, with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. She rose to the rank of First Sergeant and earned numerous military honors, including the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in a combat zone. Her additional awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign stars, NATO Medal, and the Army Recruiting Gold Badge with three sapphire stars, recognizing exceptional recruiting achievement. She also received the Recruiter Ring for Excellence and multiple Community Service Volunteer Awards.
Throughout her military career, Perkins remained committed to volunteerism, serving as a foster parent, Guardian ad Litem, and Habitat for Humanity volunteer, among other community activities. Upon retiring from the Army, she reflected that military service felt less like a decision and more like a calling.
While on active duty, Perkins completed her physician associate program prerequisites. After retirement, she matriculated at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, earning a Master of Health Sciences (MHS) degree in October 2018. Her clinical experience includes surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine, urgent care, intensive care, and ambulatory care at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, where she provided float coverage across specialties and was assigned a patient panel.
In 2025, Perkins practiced in remote coastal villages in Alaska, with Hooper Bay as her primary assignment. There, she delivered primary, urgent, and emergency care in an austere environment with limited access to specialty consultation and often faced delayed medevacs due to weather. She provided ICU-level care when evacuations were postponed and collaborated with health aide trainees and fellow advanced practice providers. Her responsibilities extended well beyond traditional clinical duties and included pharmacy management (controlled and non-controlled medications), laboratory services, radiography, immunizations, emergency response, home visits to elders and homebound patients, and medical training for local health aides. She managed motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, assaults, mental health emergencies, overdoses, and obstetric care, including delivering a premature infant during one of her assignments.
In January 2026, Perkins deployed to Antarctica for the Austral winter at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station as part of the National Science Foundation’s United States Antarctic Program. She relieved her husband, Dennis, (also a PA) who was then serving in the summer season medical team at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. During the winter-over period, she and her physician colleague provide comprehensive medical care for the 44 personnel stationed at the South Pole. Her duties include laboratory services, EKGs, IV access and therapy, radiography, equipment maintenance and quality control, pharmacy management, and leadership of a nine-member medical emergency response team responsible for incidents within a five-mile radius of the station. She will remain “on ice” until flights resume in October–November 2026.
Outside of medicine, Perkins enjoys scuba diving, skydiving, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, skiing, cycling, and riding motorcycles. When not practicing in remote environments, she and her husband enjoy traveling, working on their farm, and spending time with their seven children and twenty-six grandchildren.
Acknowledgements
This biography was written by Bruna Varalli-Claypool with the assistance of Tamatha Perkins. It was submitted to the Society in March 2026. All photographs are courtesy of Ms. Perkins.
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