Kathy Pedersen

Kathy Pedersen has worked at the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program and in family medicine at the Utah Community Health Centers serving the underserved and underinsured for over 30 years. In her clinical role she advocated quality, cost effective patient care, and networked extensively to provide needed patient resources. She also volunteered at a Salt Lake City Free Clinic.

She is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the University of Utah Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and Manager for Global Partners, a program that brokers University of Utah resources to meet needs of humanitarian and corporate social responsibility partners around the world. Some examples are physicians who come short term to the U.S. to learn best practices in primary care, public health, and occupational medicine; a Moroccan Emergency Medicine training project; a workforce consultation in Nepal; and development of the Nepal International Elective. Global Partners helps create academic corporate partnerships and humanitarian projects that span education, workforce consultation, student electives, and new initiatives in global health. Her interest in global health stemmed from long ago clinical work in Mexico and Honduras, and with the development over the last 20 years of student elective initiatives in Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Nepal.

At the Utah PA Program, she ran small groups, designed curriculum, was involved with EDI, Mission in Practice, OSCEs, the Care Fair, nominations for national and local awards for faculty and graduates, various aspects of global health, editing, advocating; having salmon BBQs, developing and facilitating international electives, and working with advancement. Her favorite role is working with students.

Ms. Pedersen served on the board of the International Consortium of Universities for Global Health for six years. She was feature editor of “Global Perspectives” for the national Journal of Physician Assistant Educators, and currently is the department editor for "Global Insights" for JAAPA. She authored the sentinel White Paper on international activities of PA programs, facilitated a PA core curriculum in global health, and research on core competencies for graduate PAs wanting to work in low resource countries. She has been active in national organizations for decades. She advocates measures to reduce inequity and improve access to care.

Her hobbies and interests are hiking, reading, writing; global health, health systems, health equity, human behavior, cooking, having get togethers, and travel. She is a vocalist- bands, solos, choirs, and currently in a jazz quartet.