Duke PA Program Alumnus Prentiss Harrison, Nation's First African-American PA, Dies at Age 75
Prentiss L. Harrison, PA, the nation’s first African-American physician assistant and a 1968 graduate of the Duke Physician Assistant Program, passed away Dec. 11, 2018, at the age of 75. Harrison is widely recognized as a pioneer of the PA profession and for his strong passion for providing health care to the medically underserved.
Duke Physician Assistant Program Faculty, Staff Present at 2018 PAEA Education Forum
A number of Duke Physician Assistant Program faculty and staff attended and also presented at the national Physician Assistant Education Association Education Forum in Anaheim, Calif., in October.
Presenters included:
Will Bynum, Susan Hibbard, Nick Hudak, Betsy Melcher Among Duke AHEAD Grant Recipients
Four Duke Community & Family Medicine faculty members have been awarded grant funding through Duke AHEAD for three educational innovation projects. The faculty are:
Responding to the Opioid Crisis: Free Training Opportunities for Providers
In response to the opioid crisis, the Duke Physician Assistant Program has created free, online modules that meet the North Carolina Controlled Substance CME requirement for physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who prescribe controlled substances.
To access the modules, follow the below links:
Duke Physician Assistant Program Awards 89 Certificates
Members of the Duke Physician Assistant Program Class of 2018 received their physician assistant certificates in a ceremony on Aug. 3 at the Duke Physician Assistant Program. The students received Master of Health Sciences degrees from Duke University in May. The Class of 2018 includes 89 graduates.
Stead Society President Emily Oslie addressed her classmates with words of encouragement.
Ten N.C. Clinicians Complete Primary Care Training and Enhancement Mini-Fellowship at Duke Physician Assistant Program
Ten North Carolina clinicians — also preceptors to Duke University medical, nursing and physician assistant students — have completed a three-day Primary Care Training and Enhancement Program Faculty Development Mini-Fellowship at the Duke Physician Assistant Program.
Mini-fellowship participants were:
Melinda Blazar Named Director of Clinical Education for Duke PA Program
Melinda Blazar, MHS, PA-C, assistant professor of community and family medicine, has been named director of clinical education of the Duke Physician
Joshua Davidoff Named 2018 Student Winner of Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award
Physician assistant student Joshua Davidoff, MHS, was the 2018 student awardee of the Duke University School of Medicine Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award. Davidoff was recognized at the School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion's annual awards luncheon on June 15.
Duke Physician Assistant Students Raise More Than $12,000 for Childhood Cancer Research
Students in the Duke Physician Assistant Program have raised $12,488 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to funding childhood cancer research grants.
Kicking off the annual “Brave the Shave Day” on May 6 at West 94th Street Pub in the Woodcroft Shopping Center were several members of the Class of 2019 running a 5K benefiting St. Baldrick’s. Deidre Pelletier was the second-fastest female runner, followed by a group of dedicated PA students, faculty and staff.
Alumni Profiles: Living the Duke PA Program Mission
Since the physician assistant profession’s founding at Duke University in 1965, the scope of PAs’ work has grown steadily, along with an increased need for health care services in the United States. A March 2017 Association of American Medical Colleges report shows the demand for physicians will grow faster than the supply through 2025, and physician assistants are needed to fill the gap.