The Duke Physician Assistant Program’s incoming class contains the highest percentage of underrepresented minorities the program has accepted in more than a decade.
The Class of 2020 will include 10 African-American students, 14 Hispanic students and one Native American student — approximately 28 percent of the 90 students accepted. The Duke PA program has averaged an acceptance rate of 18 percent underrepresented minorities for the past 10 years.
Additionally, 46 percent of accepted students in the Class of 2020 are educationally and/or economically disadvantaged, as determined by Physician Assistant Education Association guidelines. This is the largest percentage since the Class of 2016’s 47 percent.
Over the past two years, the program has refocused recruitment efforts across North Carolina and at a number of historically black colleges and universities across the nation, in addition to taking part in information sessions online and hosting on-campus sessions. The program uses a holistic approach to candidate selection, which heavily considers life experience and dedication to community service, as opposed to solely focusing on academic performance.