PA Education Episodes

Steph and I have a delightful conversation with Drs. Ritsema and Hermann from the George Washington University Physician Assistant Program. We learn about their program and about their roles in the Physician Associate movement in the United Kingdom and with the National Health Service Corps. We also discuss some different perspectives on the doctoral degree for PAs.

We speak with Mr. Quinten van den Driesschen, MPA about the PA profession in the Netherlands and his nearly two decades serving as a PA in their health system. We also learn of a very unique model of education that pays students to go to PA school while serving their sponsoring institution along the way.

We speak with Prof. Dr. Marcus Hoffman who is widely known as the father of the German PA profession about the origin of their model, their current path, and some of the curriculum differences between the U.S. model and the German model. We also talk about his work with the Euro PA-C movement as well.

We speak with Dr. Lisa Mustone Alexander about the physician associate profession in Ireland. Dr. Alexander shares her insights on the differences between the Royal College of Surgeons' programme and most U.S. PA programs and she explains the challenges and rewards of helping the profession grow in the Emerald Isle.

Welcome to Season 2! We start this season by learning from one of our profession's national treasures, Ms. Ruth Ballweg, MPA, PA-C Emeritus. Ruth shares her story as one of the pioneers of our profession as well as her work on supporting the international growth of the profession with the support of the NCCPA. She highlights the challenges of being a woman in the early days of the profession and how she deftly navigated the politics to become one of our biggest names in the profession.

Stephane and Kevin take time to look back at the first season including the who, what, where, when, and why that was shared in episode 1. They review the themes that came up along with a sneak preview of Season 2.

We speak with Claire Norman, MSJ and Sara Diosdado-Ortiz, MBA about the Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at the Keck School of Medicine for the University of Southern California. We talk about their focus on diversity, leadership, and technology in their curriculum and Claire shares some stories about the program while Sara shares tips for applicants.

Dr. Bill Kohlhepp‘s PA career spans over 4 decades and throughout those years he has led in a multitude of ways and for most of the major PA organizations. He is the 2020 recipient of the PAEA Lifetime Achievement Award, a former Dean for Quinnipiac University, and a passionate leader. Dr. Kohlhepp speaks with us about his path, his program, and about the most important issues for the PA profession.

We speak with Mr. Jonathan Bowser, Associate Dean and Program Director for the University of Colorado Child Health Associate Physician Assistant Program. Jon, Stephanie, and I speak about his path to the profession, his long-standing program, and his thoughts about the future of the profession. We also discuss the pros and cons for a pre-PA entrance examination and chat about Jon's experiences leading the Physician Assistant Education Association.

Today we speak with Dr. Patrick Knott and Mr. Jason Radke from Rosalind Franklin University about their PA program, about post-graduate training residencies for PAs, and about a unique role that Dr. Knott has taken as an inventor and scholar. We also speak about the role of mentorship in our profession including the ironic connections the three of us share.

This week we speak with Dr. Jacqueline Barnett, Associate Professor and Program Director at the Duke University School of Medicine PA Program about her path to becoming a PA; her role in the DC Coroner‘s office; her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion; and about the program that started it all for the PA profession - Duke University. We talk about her vision for the program and for the profession as well and celebrate PA week and Dr. Eugene Stead‘s contribution to our profession. *Trigg...

We speak with PA Brian Peacock from the Wake Forest School of Medicine PA Program. Brian serves as their Program Director and he highlights the unique inquiry-based curriculum that Wake has utilized for generations of Wake PAs. This format promotes critical thinking and allows their graduates' to be prepared for the ever changing scientific environment. We also discuss their strong history of producing national leaders and his desire to see health systems change from a quantity driven model to a...

2021 PAEA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Grace Landel, M.Ed., PA-C speaks with our team about Touro University's dual degree program, her path in the PA profession, and about the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for her and her students.

Mr. Matthew McQuillan, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA is the Department Chair for the Rutgers School of Health Professions Department of PA Studies and Practice. He is a nationally renown leader and educator who has led the accrediting body through one of the most difficult times in the history of our profession. His passion for faculty development, research, and the medical humanities is palpable and he shared with Stephane and Kevin how Rutgers has evolved to focus on the humanities and service to their com...

The University of Iowa PA program has a unique distinction as one of the only programs in the country to share their curriculum with their medical school. The first 18 months are identical for both medical and PA students and then each profession heads out on their clinical rotations. We speak with Dr. David Asprey, Associate Dean for Medical Education and Mr. Tony Brennamen, PA-C, MSW about their success as one of the top programs in the U.S. News & World Report and about the benefits of a shar...

The Stanford University Masters of Science in Physician Assistant Studies team speaks with us about their program, their unique curriculum, and their commitment to service and leadership. We speak with Drs. Sue Fernandes, Nicole Burwell, and Jess Butler about their careers and vision for the future of Stanford University.

Dr. Dawn Morton-Rias is the first PA and woman of color to lead one of the four national organizations representing the PA profession. She shares her path to becoming a PA, her clinical journey, her work in PA education and her rise to national leadership. We'll learn more about the NCCPA and their role in supporting the profession in certifying PAs across the country.

Ted Ruback, MS, PA-C Emeritus is widely known as the father of CASPA, the centralized application service for the PA profession. He is also the founding father of the Oregon Health and Sciences University PA program in Portland, OR and he is the recipient of the two highest honors in our profession; the American Academy of Physician Assistants Eugene A Stead Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award and the Master Faculty Award from the Physician Assistant Education Association. We discussed his path to be...

We speak with Dr. Maha Lund and Mr. Allan Platt about Emory University's Physician Assistant Program and their commitment to educational excellence and service to the community. We also connect about the future of the profession and the impact of the growth of programs in the United States.

Michael DeRosa, PhD, PA-C and I talk about his unique path to becoming a PA, Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA, and the incredible work he and his colleagues are doing in the remote mountains of Panama providing health care and public health services to the people of Batata. The beauty of their land and the people are worth listening in on as we talk about their triumphs and a tragedy.

Tony Miller has been a PA for over 42 years and throughout his career he has sought new opportunities to lead our profession. In this episode Steph and I talk about Tony's passion for faculty and curricular development, his legacy with Shenandoah University, his leadership, and about the potential impact of the doctoral degree on the PA profession.

Dr. Adrian Banning is an Associate Clinical Professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. She is a PA educator, researcher, and clinician who hosts PA centric podcasts and serves her profession in a variety of avenues. She spoke with us about her path to becoming a PA, her passion for the care of veterans, her work at Drexel University's PA Program, and her thoughts on applying to PA school. We also discussed her podcasts including Airwaves & Educators in this truly enjoyable session.

Today we speak with Paula Phelps, MHE, PA-C. Paula is the former Department Chair and current Professor and Service Learning Coordinator for the Idaho State University Department of PA Studies. She is also the first and only PA to serve on the Idaho State Medical Board and she has an impressive history of writing successful grants that have supported numerous innovations with the program, and publishing her findings in many different journals. She has been a PA since 1996 and has practiced in fa...

Mr. Terry Scott, MPA, PA-C, DFAAPA is the Program Director and Section Head of MEDEX Northwest, the PA Program at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. Terry and I discuss our passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion and the historic roots of the MEDEX Northwest PA Program including some of the historic work their founding father Dr. Richard Smith led in his career. We also talk about the "why" behind the applicant and the importance of knowing your why before applying to any PA prog...