Graduate programs at USF Health had promising gains in this year’s rankings from U.S. News & World Report (U.S. News), with some programs breaking into the top 50 of their rankings.

In the U.S. News 2024 Best Graduate Schools list released on April 25, USF Health’s physician assistant, nursing and public health programs ranked among the best in the country.

The rankings released April 25 did not include medical schools or law schools; those rankings were released by U.S. News May 11.

Among the notable advancements this year are the two graduate programs from the USF Health College of Nursing, each of which had major gains, and the Physician Assistant Program in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, which made the ranking list for the first time in its young history after receiving its inaugural full accreditation needed to qualify.

“Our nursing school is clearly garnering attention on the national stage as both its master’s and doctoral programs are making incredible gains in the rankings, and proving to be the best in Florida,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “And the first-time ranking for our physician assistant program marks a significant milestone. While this USF Health program is still young, its inaugural ranking is among the top third of PA programs across the country. We anticipate further rankings gains as our program continues to develop.”

According to U.S. News, its methodology uses data from expert opinions and statistical indicators when measuring a program’s ranking, examining qualities students and faculty bring to the educational experience and graduates’ achievements linked to their degrees, such as job placement and research impact.

The posted results for USF Health this year include:

• #46 in Medical Schools for Primary Care: The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine improved significantly for U.S. medical schools for primary care, going from #56 last year to #46 this year, and breaking into the top 50 for the first time.
• #50 in Medical Schools for Research: The Morsani College of Medicine continues to rank well among U.S. medical schools for research, ranking at #50 this year.
• #65 in Health Doctoral Programs – Physician Assistant: The Morsani College of Medicine’s Physician Assistant program ranked for the first time, ranked at #65 this year, placing it in the top third of the more than 200 PA programs in the rankings.
• #31 in Nursing for Master’s: The USF Health College of Nursing jumped 11 spots, going from #42 last year to #31 this year, making it the top-ranked public nursing master’s program in Florida.
• #33 in Nursing for DNP: The College of Nursing also continues to improve in its DNP program ranking and skyrocketed into the top 50 for doctoral programs in the country with its 34-spot jump from #67 last year to #33 this year, making it the top-ranked public or private DNP program in Florida.
• #22 in Public Health: The USF Health College of Public Health remains the top-ranked public health program in Florida, with its rank at #22 this year.

U.S. News does not provide new rankings for all graduate programs each year, so the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy maintains its rank of #68, and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences maintains its rank of #49.

More on rankings for other USF graduate programs…

The 30 students of the charter class of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program before their graduation banquet Wednesday evening.

On the evening before graduation, the charter class of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program gathered at the USF Research and Innovation galleria room to celebrate the two-year journey from applicant to physician assistant.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health Senior Vice President and Morsani College of Medicine Dean.

USF Health Senior Vice President and Morsani College of Medicine Dean Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, told the group how proud and excited he is for the graduating class.

“Tonight’s commencement dinner represents the culmination of hard work and dedication, the realization of a dream over the past two years and the beginning of a successful career,” Dr. Lockwood said. “You are pursuing one of the fastest growing careers in the medical field and you are going to play an indispensable role in delivering excellent, cost-effective care.”

Todd Wills, MD, assistant dean and program director.

Todd Wills, MD, assistant dean and program director reflected on the path these inaugural students have taken to get where they are.

“It was just two short years ago when we welcomed 30 students to the USF Health Rotunda before the start of orientation,” Dr. Wills said. “As you each begin your careers in health care over the next weeks and months, remember that the confidence our program has in you is more than justified and we can’t wait to see what comes next.”

A highlight of the evening came when select students and staff received several awards based on academic excellence, clinical performance.  Additionally, four students were inducted into MCOM’s chapter of the the Association of Physician Assistant Programs Pi Alpha National Honor Society.  Those selected showed significant academic achievement, leadership, research, community service and a high standard of character and conduct among PA students and graduates.

First student inductees:

– Kathryn Rudibaugh, MPAS

– Shannon Aurelius, MPAS

– Brittany Bianchi, MPAS

– Mollie Pleasenton, MPAS

(L-R) Shannon Aurelius, MPAS, Brittany Bianchi, MPAS, Larry Collins, MPAS, PA-C, ATC, Kathryn Rudibaugh, MPAS, Mollie Pleasenton, MPAS.

After the student inductions, Larry Collins, MPAS, PA-C, ATC, associate professor and associate program director, became the first faculty member to be inducted into the honor society.

Other award recipients:

Highest Didactic Year GPA: Brittany Bianchi, MPAS

Highest Clinical Year GPA: Shannon Aurelius, MPAS

Outstanding Pre-clinical Instructor, selected by the students as the most positive impact on their pre-clinical education: Dr. Todd Wills.

Outstanding Clinical Preceptor, selected by the students for having the most positive impact on their clinical education: Meredith Plant, MD

The PA’s PA, given to the student chosen as best exemplifying the characteristics of a PA they would choose to care for them and their family: Katie Lucas, MPAS

Katie Lucas, MPAS, center, received the PA’s PA awarded to the student chosen as best exemplifying the charastics of a PA they would choose to care for them and their family.

Following the presentations, Kevin Allison, MPAS, and Elisabeth “Libby” Kusiak, MPAS, delivered a heartfelt charge to their classmates.

Class co-presidents Elisabeth “Libby” Kusiak and Kevin Allison.

“We hope you can all reflect and think about how this program and your classmates have changed you and shaped you into the person you are today and into the provider you want to be. This is not goodbye, but hello to new beginnings,” said Kusiak. “It has been an honor to serve as your class co-president and I can honestly say I know we are all going to make outstanding providers.”

To conclude the event, Larry Collins announced the start of a scholarship foundation to help future MCOM PA students and contributed $1,000 to the foundation.

“Think about all of the future PAs and be sure to pay it forward,” he said.

The 30 charter PA students will graduate May 2 during the USF Health graduation at the Yuengling Center.

USF Health’s Physician Assistant program has been granted provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The designation allows the PA program, which is based in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, to begin accepting applications for the 30 spots that will make up the inaugural class that begins in May 2017.

“This is a great accomplishment, after years of planning, so we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Todd Wills, MD, associate professor of infectious disease, assistant dean and founding director of USF Health’s PA degree program.

“And we’re not wasting any time before we start urging interested students to apply to be part of our charter class. Provisional accreditation is the first step in a 4 to 5 year process toward full accreditation, so prospective students can be assured when they apply that USF Health’s PA program has met the rigorous standards required to achieve the provisional accreditation designation.”

The Physician Assistant Program team includes, seated from left, Alexander Neff, Dr. Kaley Tash, Kathleen Flach, Adrienne Kinsella, and Dr. Gretchen Koehler. Standing, from left, are Larry Collins, William Ungureit, and Dr. Todd Wills.

PAs are nationally certified and state-licensed to practice medicine in partnership with physicians. PAs perform physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret lab tests, perform procedures, assist in surgery, provide patient education and counseling, and make rounds in hospitals and nursing homes. All 50 states, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia allow PAs to practice, order tests and procedures, and prescribe medications.

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s PA Program was created to meet the high demand for primary care professionals, a demand that is unlikely to subside, said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“The health care landscape is rapidly evolving and will offer PAs ever-increasing, indispensable roles as an integral part of the patient’s health care team,” Dr. Lockwood said. “This is an incredible milestone for our college, and I’d especially like to applaud Drs. Todd Wills and Gretchen Koehler for their outstanding commitment to building a quality program that will meet the health care workforce needs for generations to come.”

More locally, the Florida Legislature recently passed legislation allowing PAs licensed in the state to prescribe controlled substances. And nationally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published a proposal to lift a longstanding ban that prevents PAs from providing medical care through the “Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly” (PACE).  The proposed rule (published on Aug. 16, 2016) would allow PAs to be utilized in the CMS program designed to help patients meet their health care needs in the community rather than in a nursing home or other inpatient facility.

The provisional accreditation for USF Health’s PA degree program is a result of a concerted effort across USF Health, Dr. Wills said, including an assessment by the accrediting body of how well this institution can support the program, the clinical experience, curriculum, clinical rotations, etc. This included on on-site visit by an ARC-PA team in June to confirm the program’s capability. This accreditation team will track the program’s progress over the next few years, culminating in a final evaluation after the charter class graduates two years from now.

This provisional accreditation status is a key step in the PA program and certifies that the USF program complies with the multiple standards of accreditation, including missions and goals, academic plan, student services, faculty hiring plan, and institutional support, Dr. Wills said.

The two-year PA program at USF Health offers three distinct advantages to other programs — it is part of the Morsani College of Medicine, it offers access to a state-of-the-art, multispecialty practice group with multiple sites across the Tampa Bay region, and it is part of USF Health’s inter-professional education framework.

“Our PA program will incorporate course material from across a range of disciplines that link naturally across all of USF Health’s colleges,” said Gretchen Koehler, PhD, associate vice president for academic program administration and Institutional Effectiveness for USF Health and senior associate dean for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Physician Assistant Program team meeting.

“In doing so, PA students will share in a robust fund of knowledge that will be reinforced while working in clinical sites, hand-in-hand with medical, nursing, pharmacy, athletic training, and physical therapy students. Our students will have the knowledge, skills and practice to become fully engaged health care practitioners.”

The team approach that is central to USF Health is also a cornerstone of the PA program, Dr. Wills said.

Dr. Todd Wills, director of USF Health’s PA degree program.

“Being part a team is how our PAs will be working, so it’s a natural extension of USF Health that the PAs learn in these interdisciplinary teams,” Dr. Wills said. “Our PA students will be part of an academic health center, they will be right next to everyone who is doing cutting-edge practice the moment they begin their training with us.”

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications.