All Star Payback: Mission Accomplished! Celebrating Five Extraordinary Healthcare Professionals

Locum tenens providers play a critical role in keeping hospitals running, reducing burnout for permanent staff, expanding access to care, and ensuring patients receive the treatment they need, when they need it. The Payback Campaign was born from one simple idea:

Let’s give a little something back to the people who give everything.

More than 3,600 clinicians participated, sharing stories of purpose, resilience, humor, heartbreak, and hope. So many of the videos about what it means to be a healthcare provider reflected the courage and compassion of those who keep healthcare moving forward. Five winners were selected at random.

Today, we’re proud to highlight five remarkable professionals whose stories represent five different disciplines — and who embody exactly why we created this campaign:

• A Physician Assistant shaping patient experiences with empathy and clarity
• A CRNA bringing lifesaving anesthesia care to underserved communities
• A Nephrologist caring for chronically ill patients with holistic compassion
• A Pulmonologist & Critical Care physician saving the sickest of the sick
• A Cardiothoracic Surgeon performing some of medicine’s most complex procedures

These heroes make healthcare work — and make access to care possible for thousands of families each year.

Meet the 2025 All Star Payback Winners

Courtney Kingston, PA-C — Physician Assistant

Strength, resilience, compassion

Courtney’s path began when she listened to a patient’s heartbeat for the first time at age 13 — and she never looked back. Her rigorous training made her adaptable across every setting, and today she serves patients by slowing down, explaining complex terms, and making their care feel less frightening.

She hopes to use her prize to visit family and give back to others.
Her philosophy:

“Being a PA means joining the large healthcare system to be a partner in the community’s health.”

Lance Machado, CRNA — Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Compassion, preparation, and service to underserved communities

Growing up in rural Kansas, Lance saw firsthand the consequences of limited healthcare access. As a CRNA, he now brings lifesaving anesthesia services to communities that need them most — from complex cases to hospitals running thin staffing.

He entered the contest “on a whim” while throwing a ball for his dog, Steve. His plans?

“It’s going toward fencing the yard for my dog Steve. He’s really going to appreciate this.”

Dr. Waqas Memon — Nephrologist

Holistic care, deep compassion, and family-centered purpose

Dr. Memon entered medicine after losing his grandmother to a misdiagnosis at age 12 — a moment that shaped his lifelong purpose. Nephrology challenged him intellectually and emotionally in all the right ways, and today he focuses on providing thoughtful, holistic care to patients who are often overlooked.

He chose locum tenens work to spend more time with his young children.

“With locums, I’m able to make close to what I was making before while still having time at home — picking them up from school and spending time with them.”

He plans to use his Payback prize to help pay down his wife’s student loans.

Dr. Taiwen Chen — Pulmonologist & Critical Care Physician

Saving lives, battling burnout, and rediscovering joy in medicine

Inspired by a family member with polio, Dr. Chen found her calling in critical care — a fast-paced, high-stakes environment where she treats the sickest of the sick. After years on the front lines, especially during COVID-19, she turned to locum tenens to regain balance and joy.

She uses her experience to uplift families during their darkest moments.

“Every time someone comes off life support and then comes back two years later to say thank you — that’s what makes it all worth it.”

Her Payback prize will help her travel, reset, and support her daughter who is in college.

 Dr. John Anastasi — Cardiothoracic Surgeon

Precision, purpose, and the power to save lives

Dr. Anastasi didn’t begin his career aiming to become a surgeon — or even a doctor. But one day in an NYU operating room changed his life forever. Today, he performs highly complex, minimally invasive heart surgeries that save and transform lives.

He balances a demanding surgical career with a passion for writing and creative work, proving that purpose can be both technical and artistic.

“It means taking care of the most critically ill patients and changing their lives — and their families’ lives — by giving them more time and better quality of life.”

Why We Created the All Star Payback Campaign

At All Star Healthcare Solutions, we believe in caring for the people who care for others. Our providers step into new communities, support exhausted teams, cover critical gaps, and ensure patient care never stops — no matter the challenge.

The Payback Campaign was designed to:

• Celebrate the providers who keep healthcare moving
• Share their stories to inspire others
• Support clinicians with a financial boost
• Highlight their impact on patient access and community care

We did it because these stories matter.
We did it because these professionals matter.
And we will continue doing it — every year — to honor more All Stars across the country.

Congratulations to Our Winners — and Thank You to Every Provider Who Entered

These five extraordinary professionals represent the very best of healthcare:

• A PA who makes medicine feel human
• A CRNA who brings care to underserved towns
• A nephrologist who honors patients often overlooked
• A pulmonologist who saves lives in the ICU
• A cardiothoracic surgeon who repairs hearts — literally and figuratively

Their stories remind us why we show up every day.

To every clinician who participated in this year’s Payback Campaign:

Thank you for everything you do to make healthcare work.

Thank you for helping patients get the care they need.

Thank you for being All Stars.