The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program class of 2024.

Leaders from USF Health and the Morsani College of Medicine welcomed 50 new students representing Physician Assistant Program class of 2024 during a small ceremony Sept. 16.

The program’s sixth cohort of students, who officially started their classwork in May, make up the most academically competitive class in program history.

The master of ceremonies for the event was Todd Wills, MD, assistant dean and program director for the Physician Assistant Program.  He spoke to the students about what they can expect when they pursue their degree at USF Health and the symbolic meaning of receiving their first white coats.

Todd Wills, MD, assistant dean and Physician Assistant Program director.

“One of the things that make USF such a great place to pursue a PA degree is the commitment of our organization to interdisciplinary education across our colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health.  This is well-reflected in the rising reputation of USF’s health programs over the past decade,” said Dr. Wills.  “Today, you wear a coat which sends a signal to your family, friends, community and most importantly, the patients for whom you are preparing to provide care.”

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health executive vice president and MCOM dean, was the keynote speaker of the event.  He spoke to the audience about the increasingly-demanding role physician assistants play in health care teams for years to come.

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health executive vice president and Morsani College of Medicine dean.

“You are pursuing one of the fastest growing careers in medicine and you will be on the frontlines of patient care. You will play ever-increasing, indispensable roles as an integral part of the patient’s health care team, said Dr. Lockwood.  “I am confident that all of you will excel in this next stage of your own professional development.”

Small groups of students stood up in front of their friends and family for faculty members to put their first white coats over their shoulders, symbolizing the official start of their commitment to patient care, life-long learning, and making life better in their communities.

Larry Collins, MPAS, PA-C, ATC, associate program director, led the students in reciting the Oath of Commitment, marking the end of the ceremony and the beginning of their health care journey.

Fun facts about the Class of 2024:

• Average GPA: 3.81 – highest in program history
• 1,056 total applicants for 50 spots: 5% chance of acceptance.
• Officially started class work May 22, 2022
• First fully in-person class since COVID 19 pandemic.

More images from the ceremony:

Story and photos by Freddie Coleman, USF Health Communications and Marketing

Video and article by Allison Long.

Photos by Freddie Coleman.

The arena erupted in cheers and applause as USF System President Judy Genshaft walked toward the stage for this year’s USF Health Commencement Ceremony – and one of her final commencement exercises.

The May 2 graduation ceremony was among her final as USF President and the students, friends and families at the Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus all showed their gratitude for her 19-year tenure.

The USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Public Health were represented at the 2019 Spring Commencement held in the Yuengling Center.

“These ceremonies are especially significant for me as this is my last time presiding over commencement as USF President,” Genshaft said, as she welcomed everyone to the ceremony. “Over my 19 years as president I’ve had the honor and the privilege of graduating over 210,000 USF students.”

The 2019 USF Health Commencement featured students graduating with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees representing USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Public Health. The Morsani College of Medicine will also hold an MD commencement ceremony on May 10.

Dr. Charles J. Lockwood spoke to the graduates and their families at the 2019 Spring Commencement.

In addition to acknowledging the significance of Genshaft’s contributions to USF, the evening ceremony also offered two other milestones: the graduation of the charter class of the Physician Assistant program in the Morsani College of Medicine, and the graduation of the charter class of the Genetics Counseling program in the College of Public Health.

Zachary Ulshafer, Physician Assistant Program graduate, gave the student welcome at the 2019 Spring Commencement.

Kyle Holsted, a 2019 physician assistant graduate, understood the importance of being in the charter class. “It’s nice to set the foundation for USF Health and for the P.A. (physician assistant) program,” he said.

Audrey Heimler received an honorary doctorate in public health for her pioneering work in genetic counseling, and David Eddy, MD, received the President’s Fellow Medallion. Dr. Eddy is a professor for the USF Institute for Advanced Discovery and Innovation.

Also, the College of Public Health featured several award-winning students:

• King O’Neal Scholars: Ved Patel, Kaelan Skinner and Jessica Zelitt
• Golden Bull awardee: Whitney Fung.

USF System President Judy Genshaft and Merritt Martin, USF Alumni Association chair, presented College of Public Health graduate Ved Patel with a King O’Neal Scholar award.

And the College of Nursing also featured several award-winning students:

• King O’Neal Scholars: Loretta Bayer, Laura Rouco and Carly Stagg
• Outstanding Graduate: Roberto Velasco

College of Nursing graduate Loretta Bayer received a King O’Neal Scholar award from Genshaft and Martin.

The USF Health commencement ceremony was one of several Spring commencement exercises across the USF System. With approximately 7,500 degrees expected to be conferred, the 2019 class represents the largest in USF System history. The class features graduates from 50 states, 109 nations and 57 students with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.

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The USF Health Physician Assistant (PA) Program officially started May 8 when 30 students – the inaugural class – gathered in a lecture hall to begin their classes.

The excitement was palpable – faculty and administrators eagerly welcomed each student who arrived at the first-day orientation and students were all smiles as they came in and greeted each other.

The day many had been waiting for and working toward had finally arrived.

“We are more than excited for you all to be here,” said Todd Wills, MD, assistant dean and founding director of USF Health’s PA Program, in his welcoming remarks to the new class. “We have no doubt you’re going to succeed – you’re in a fantastic place where the facilities and faculty are top-notch.”

Dr. Todd Wills welcomes the charter class to the PA Program.

The USF Health PA Program was established to help meet the growing demand for health care providers, especially those in primary care. The program earned provisional accreditation in fall 2016, opening the application process and assuring applicants of a quality program.

The 30 students in the charter class include 21 women and 9 men. They were chosen from more than 1,500 applicants (50 to 1 ratio, or 2 percent). Of the 30 new students 23 are from Florida and seven from out of state.

Being part of a charter class is uncommon, said Bryan A. Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP, vice dean for Educational Affairs for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, at the start of the orientation.

“There is only one charter class,” Dr. Bognar said to the new students. “USF Health has seen phenomenal growth and you, sitting here today, are part of our continued growth.”

Dr. Bryan Bognar kicks off the first day for the USF Health PA Program.

In assuring them of the work ahead in the program, he added “This PA program is unparalleled.”

This first group includes many who saw the quality of USF Health’s program and were eager to be in the inaugural group. That includes first-year student Kelly Powell. Originally from Mississippi, Powel spent the past year in New York City as a medical assistant for a dermatology practice. She said she was confident when applying to the USF Health PA program because of its affiliation with the Morsani College of Medicine, the experience of its faculty, and the facilities that would be part of her training.

“Being part of the first class could be intimidating – they expect a lot out of you – but the big benefit is that they are flexible and want feedback for how to improve the program,” Powell said.

Also in the first class is Jensen Jozil, who saw the impact a PA can have on patient care when his mother needed emergency care at a hospital.

“I was really impressed,” said Jozil, a graduate of USF’s biomedical sciences program. “The PA was managing the entire case with professionalism and was a good source of knowledge for my mom’s condition. That’s when I really knew I wanted to be a PA.”

PA students spend a few minutes meeting each other before first-day orientation.

That kind of impact is just what program administrators were aiming for, said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“Physician assistants are on the frontline of patient care,” Dr. Lockwood said. “They work more closely with physicians than probably anyone else. They are trained to provide outstanding care for patients, to be able to assist physicians in operating rooms, as well as to provide primary care.”

The demand for PAs is huge, Dr. Lockwood added, and the statistics bear him out. The U.S. Department of Labor projects physician assistant jobs to grow 30 percent by 2024. Upon earning their certification, 63 percent of PAs accepted a clinical position and 75 percent of those received multiple job offers, according to a 2014 report by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

“There is a significant shortage of physicians, an extraordinary shortage of nurses, so the demand for physician assistants is enormous,” Dr. Lockwood said. “There are lot of programs that are being developed. There are very few, however, that are so well-grounded in academic practice as ours. And we think we’ll be able to provide our PA students with tools that will set them apart from other PA programs and lead to more exciting and interesting careers.”

Dr. Gretchen Koehler (center) welcomes the first-year PA students.

A PA program can offer a straightforward path to the profession, said Gretchen Koehler, PhD, associate vice president for USF Health and senior associate dean for Academics and Institutional Effectiveness for the Morsani College of Medicine.

“We are so pleased to be able to offer students another degree program, particularly one that is a two-year curriculum culminating with a terminal master’s degree, the highest degree awarded in the field,” Dr. Koehler said.

“The students in this program will be supported by the extensive USF Health network of faculty and providers. They will also participate in our intentionally designed team training sessions that bring all USF Health learners together. This model of learning capitalizes on the students’ shared interest in health and health care and allows them to more fully develop their unique areas of expertise.”

That interprofessional approach to learning is what attracted many of the charter students, along with USF Health’s training facilities, Dr. Wills said.

“Faculty and staff at USF Health set out to build a PA program that leveraged all of the strengths that already exist at USF Health and to deliver a dynamic curriculum to our first group of students,” Dr. Wills said.

“Among the strengths that exist here is a focus on interprofessional education. Unlike other PA programs, at USF Health students get to be in close proximity with nursing, public health, medical, and pharmacy students – exactly who they will collaborate with in the health care careers of the future. One thing we’ve noticed as health care has evolved is that no one practices in a silo anymore. Teamwork is especially important. So, from Day One, we are teaching our PA students how to be part of that team, to contribute to it with all of their expertise.”

USF Health PA Larry Collins gives new PA students a tour of the simulation lab.

Working in teams is the reality in today’s health care workplace, said Larry Collins, MPAS, PA-C, ATC, assistant professor of orthopaedics and sports medicine at USF Health and a faculty member for the USF Health PA Program.

“We work with physicians in a team setting along with nurse practitioners, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and other health care providers to make sure that our families have the best health care they can get in our communities,” Collins said.

He also sees a PA career as being incredibly flexible.

“We’re trained as generalists, recertify as generalists every 10 years, and in doing so we have the opportunity to change our areas of specialty,” Collins said. “I have several colleagues and classmates from PA school who have switched to positions throughout their careers. They’re in a role they love, say the ER, but feel they need something different and they go work in a family practice setting, or maybe a dermatology setting.”

The new PA students in orientation on their first day at USF Health.

Back in the classroom, at the PA Program orientation, 30 people are sitting together as one inaugural class. Dr. Bognar notes the significance of the moment and reminds them to depend on each other.

“You are going to be a close-knit family,” Dr. Bognar said. “You’re going to pick one another up when you’re down, and you’re going to be together to celebrate your high points.”

The fact that the USF Health PA Program is new is not a problem for these inaugural students.

“It doesn’t feel like a new program – there’s no mad scramble,” Jozil said. “The admissions process has been very smooth.”

“Even in the interview, you could feel the excitement they have for the program,” said first-year PA student Ivana Karaban.

“It’s amazing and I’m really excited to be here,” Karaban said. “It feels incredible to be making history.”

The charter class for the USF Health PA Program.

Story by Sarah Worth, photos by Freddie Coleman, video by Sandra C. Roa, USF Health Communications

Army Warrant Officer Jason Abraham will be one of 30 students enrolled in the charter class of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program.

While continuing to serve as an artilleryman in Florida’s National Guard, Warrant Officer Jason Abraham joins the first students entering the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s new Physician Assistant Program.  The two-year program begins May 8, with 30 students enrolled.

“I’m excited to get going in this program.  It’s taken me a long time to get to this point and I can’t wait to see what happens over the next two years,” said Abraham, a 2016 graduate of USF’s bachelor of science program in health sciences.  “I love helping people, I love to learn, and the medical field is the perfect place to open my mind to learning new things.”

Abraham, a Pat Tillman Foundation scholarship finalist, said he will rely on his time and stress management skills, mastered over a 17-year military career including two combat deployments, to get him successfully through the rigorous PA program.  They are life skills he intends to share with his classmates.

Warrant Officer Jason Abraham during the Tampa Bay Lightning Salute to Service for USF Night at Amalie Arena. He was honored for his military service in Iraq.  Courtesy photo.

“The small class size is an advantage. It’s a much tighter circle of people to share information with, and we are in much better shape to help each other when it comes to looking out for each other,” Abraham said.

Abraham’s interest in the medical field didn’t peak until three years ago when a nursing student friend told him how much she liked what she did.  After reading about the various disciplines under medicine, he decided the PA program was his path to a secondary career to build upon his military career.  The foremost reason he chose the field was because it requires versatility, “like the Army,” he said.

“One thing that interests me about the program is that physician assistants have a range of skills,” said Abraham.  “We have the ability to go into any specific discipline with the wide range of knowledge we’ll have.”

Once he learned USF Health was starting its PA program, he didn’t want to study anywhere else.  The staff at the Office of Veterans Success and the school’s reputation for veterans’ success solidified his decision to stay in Tampa.

“USF is home to me. I love how this program is closely tied to the medical school.  I’m excited to get started studying in this field that I’ve admired for several years, and getting to stay home to do it is the icing on the cake for me.  This is going to be a top-notch program, and I’m excited to be a part of it. “

As a member of the Florida Army National Guard, Abraham doesn’t plan to hang up his uniform any time soon.  In the coming years, he will transform from artilleryman into physician assistant in service to his country and the community.

As 2013 winds down and USF Health  moves into 2014,  we reflects on some highlights and accomplishments over the past year.

And, we look ahead in the New Year to renewing our commitment and efforts to improve life in the Tampa Bay area and around the world — through education, research, service and patient care.

The University of South Florida broke ground for its USF Health Heart Institute, a $50-million proposed facility that will combine advanced research and technology with the best cardiovascular care to benefit patients with heart disease, diabetes and stroke.  USF Health will continue working with governmental, hospital and community partners to make the institute a reality.

The USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), the world’s largest freestanding center of its kind, passed its first year with more than 14,000 learners from all 50 states and more than 60 countries. CAMLS completed a feasibility study with Panama to build a CAMLS-like facility and is also exploring expanding its academic entrepreneurial business model to Brazil, Mexico and Lebanon.  Healthcare professionals and students aren’t the only beneficiaries of CAMLS’  leading-edge, extensive resources for simulated learning.   In December, the USF Health doctors at CAMLS teamed up with the Florida Aquarium to help diagnose an injured sea turtle, Freud.

The USF College of Nursing continued to attract international attention for its research and education to benefit veterans and service members.  Recently published research by a USF Nursing faculty team suggests accelerated resolution therapy (ART), a brief new therapy to ease symptoms of psychological trauma, may be an option for veterans who do not respond optimally to conventional therapies endorsed by the Department of Defense and VA.  The college began its fourth and largest ART study, which will recruit 200 veterans and service members to study the cost-effectiveness of the therapy and further examine how and why it works. The college also received the largest of nine federal grants to help veterans with healthcare skills earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

The Florida Covering Kids & Families program at the Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, USF College of Public Health, this summer received the largest navigator grant in Florida – and second largest in the country.  The one-year $4.2-million federal grant to help eligible uninsured individual get health care through the Health Insurance Marketplace drew widespread media attention to the USF navigators and their partners statewide. National coverage included stories in the News York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Associated Press, TIME magazine, The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch.

The USF Health Diabetes Home for Healthy Living opened in August, ushering a new approach to diabetes care.  The new one-stop facility in the Westshore area of Tampa offers diabetes patients a relaxing, home-like environment with every aspect of care to successfully and proactively manage their chronic condition.  The medical home is the newest addition to USF’s leading research, education and clinical care initiatives making life better for those with chronic illnesses like diabetes.

USF President Judy Genshaft appointed Donna Petersen, ScD,  and Harry van Loveren, MD, interim leaders of USF Health after healthcare innovator Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and CEO of USF Health, was named to lead a prominent Philadelphia university and hospital system.   Dr. Petersen, dean of the USF College of Public Health, serves as interim CEO of USF Health, and Dr. van Loveren, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, as interim dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, while the national search for USF Health’s next CEO and medical school dean continues.

The USF College of Pharmacy continued to advance on a fast track as it grows toward a projected complement of 400 students. The incoming College of Pharmacy Class of 2017 represented the largest class in the highly competitive school’s short history – with 107 students selected from among 800 applicants. This past summer the college — with an innovative, rigorous curriculum emphasizing a collaborative approach to patient care and research — was awarded accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

The Doctors of USF Health campaign introduced this spring informed patients and families across the region that the region’s only academic medical center provides access to the most advanced health care available.  The brand identity linked to USF Health’s launch of a newly designed patient care website with access to nearly 400 highly specialized healthcare professionals.

The first class of USF SELECT students, having completed their first two years of learning at the Morsani College of Medicine, moved to Allentown, PA, to begin two years of clinical education at Lehigh Valley Health Network.  The innovative program, which welcomed its charter class in Fall 2011,  gives students unique training in leadership development, intense coaching, and the scholarly tools they need to become empathetic, passionate physician leaders who will be catalysts for change.

Construction began in March on the USF Health Specialty Care Center in The Villages, setting the stage for a new era and range of health care for residents of “America’s Healthiest Hometown,” the nation’s largest community of people over 55. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Jan. 24, 2014, for the 25,000-square-foot facility, designed as a collaborative complement to The Villages’ expanding primary care network. USF Health doctors representing several specialties will provide high-level care at the new center,

A new master’s degree program in Physician Assistant Studies, based in the Morsani College of Medicine, was approved by the USF Board of Trustees in March 2013. The first class for the interprofessional, two-year PA program will start Summer 2015, initially accepting 24 students, with plans to increase that capacity. The program is an important step forward in addressing the state’s increasing shortage of primary care practitioners.

Tampa General Hospital approved a new long-term affiliation agreement with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. The “evergreen” agreement automatically renews each year.  The strengthened partnership will help Tampa Bay’s only quaternary hospital and its only academic medical center to enhance what both institutions do best:  provide leading care for patients and teaching and training opportunities for residents and students.

The USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences and the University of West Florida announced a physical therapy partnership program that will offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree in Pensacola. The collaborative program, approved by the Florida Board of Governors in January 2013, will start in Summer 2014.  It will expand access to UWF students interested in pursuing a DPT and help meet a state-identified need for more physical therapists in a largely rural region of the state.  USF Physical Therapy also continues to lay the foundation for a new PhD program in Rehabilitation Sciences, which was approved by the USF Board of Trustees in December.

The USF College of Public Health greeted new students this fall with a record number of online offerings. Demand for the college’s online public health degree programs has exploded this year — with enrollment more than doubling since the middle of the last decade. The college’s advances in distance learning have been noted in the Guide to Online Schools, which uses data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics to rank colleges with the best quality and most affordable online programs. USF Health is home to the nation’s first online master’s degree in health informatics and to seven online master’s degree programs in public health.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

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