On August 2nd, the Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program held its 57th graduation, celebrating the class of 2024.
Ninety-one students walked beneath the Gothic arches and stained glass of Duke Chapel to receive their certificates.
Division Chief and Program Director Jacqueline S. Barnett, DHSc, MSHS, PA-C, began the ceremony by providing statistics on the amount of work it takes to be a PA student.
“As a class in the past year, just in the past year alone, you have provided care to nearly 90,000 patients, 31,000 children and adults, 14,000 from rural and medically underserved communities, 6,000 for mental health and wellness needs, and nearly 4,000 veterans.”
She went on to describe the class’s dedication to advocacy, including volunteering at organizations to increase access to food, housing and health care.
Barnett described the class of 2024 as ready for graduation, saying, “The program has prepared you well. You will continue to grow in your medical knowledge and clinical skills through lifelong learning, and you will continue to lead and serve.”
Speaking next, Medical Director Kenyon Railey, MD, said that while he is an MD by training, he is a PA at heart. Drawing from lessons from the movie The Matrix, he discussed the struggles encountered by health care providers and the need to lean in rather than choose to stay asleep.
“The movie The Matrix is really about deeper truths. I would offer that, as you see patients and people in your new reality as a practicing PA, dig beneath the surface. Going deeper down the rabbit hole with your patients and people means looking beyond the surface, beyond the physical and phenotypical characteristics that we often see on the outside.”
Class of Firsts
While the event may have been celebrating the 57th graduating class of the Duke PA Program, Stead Society President Naomi Lanos spoke about the many firsts their class accomplished.
She hopes the class of 2024 will “be known as the class of firsts; first charitable formal that raised $5,000, first White Coat ceremony at Trent Semans, and Duke PA Day at the Legislature, among others.“
Lanos congratulated her fellow graduates and said she is “so proud of every single one of you. And I hope that you choose to fill a life filled with joy and fulfillment, both in your careers and outside of it.”
Roll Call
Assistant Professor Megan Holmes, Ph.D then called each graduate to walk across the stage to receive their certificate. While announcing each student, Holmes also announced the inductees of this year’s Pi Alpha honor society.
Before leading the class and other PAs in the audience through the PA Professional Oath, former director of preclinical education Annamarie Streilein, MHS, PA-C, explained that “the oath reflects the fundamental values the PA profession strives to uphold and provides guidance for PAs in professional interactions with physicians, patients, colleagues, other health professionals and the public.”
The class of 2024 then recited the professional oath before joining their friends and family for a reception at the Washington Duke Hotel.
Congratulations to the Duke Physician Assistant Class of 2024!
Awards
Pi Alpha
This year, the following PA students were inducted into Pi Alpha, the national PA honor society:
Josh Sullivan
Tina Hillman
Austin Gamache
Alex Filiput
Jamie Schwartz
PJ Kambhiranond
Jane Gray
Renita Johnson
Megan Mitchell
Christina Zhou
Naomi Lanos
Diana Le
Liz Shipman
Lila Lehtola
Leo Phillips - Honorary
In addition, Brittany Macon-Davis, DMSC, MPH, PA-C, and Jacquetta Melvin, MPH, PA-C, were inducted as faculty members.
Scheele Award
Established by the Duke PA program in 1970, the Scheele Award recognizes alumnus Richard J. Scheele. Scheele pioneered the PA profession and became an early leader before his death at 31. The award is given to students who have exhibited leadership, professionalism, and academic excellence during their PA education.
Director of Assessment and Evaluation Melinda Blazar, EdD, MHS, PA-C, announced Tina Hillman as the award winner. Blazar said multiple faculty and state leaders have described Hillman as a “visionary trailblazer.”
Blazar shared words from the NC Academy of PAs CEO, who said Hillman “inspired her classmates to catch the advocacy bug, successfully engaging her cohort to advocate for changes to PA practice laws for the inclusion of PAs in all health care legislation.”
Joyce C. Nichols Award
Joyce Nichols, the first woman and first Black female physician assistant, tirelessly advocated for the poor and underserved. The Durham Housing Authority recently named a new affordable housing community "The Joyce,” in honor of Nichols.
In her honor, the Duke University PA program established the Joyce C. Nichols Award in 2015 to honor a graduating class member who has displayed exemplary service, advocacy, and humanitarianism during their training.
Clinical Coordinator Quincy Jones, MSW, MHS, PA-C, presented the Joyce C. Nichols Award to Gabrielle Aiden, who she said has “demonstrated exemplary commitment to the mission of our program and our profession through her advocacy work and passion for the community.”
Throughout her time at the program, Aiden logged more than 70 hours of service.
According to Jones, “She volunteered with Root Causes, a student-led organization that reduces barriers to health care and supports access to healthy foods, housing, and safe exercise participation. The student also provided mentorship and professional development through the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure program, a program promoting health care careers and people from historically underrepresented backgrounds. She dedicated hours of service to the Durham Community through events such as Burton Elementary Project, the Alliance Medical Ministry, and the Community Health Coalition CPR Program, among many others.”
Henry "Buddy" Lee Treadwell Award
This award, presented from the graduating class to a program faculty member or preceptor, is named after Treadwell, who greatly influenced the vision of Eugene A. Stead Jr., M.D., for PA education and function. Stead founded the Duke Physician Assistant Program and the profession.
Nishat Israt Hossain and Molly Austin presented the award to preceptor MariBeth Mandall, PA-C
Hussein said, “MariBeth's unwavering dedication to my education was remarkable. I felt seen, heard and valued as a PA student. MariBeth created a supportive learning environment that encouraged critical thinking and allowed us to take full ownership of patient care. Her commitment to ensuring that her students excel in clinical practice is unparalleled. But it's not just my learning that has been profoundly impacted. Every student who has crossed her path has benefited from her exceptional teaching skills and dedication.”