Find PAEA at the AAPA Conference

Several PAEA staff members will be in attendance at the AAPA Conference later this week. If you’re also heading to Denver, please take note of the sessions and research posters below. And don’t forget to say hi to John Lopes and Catherine Majewski at booth 612 in the Exhibit Hall where you can get up-to-date on PAEA’s MAT Initiative and our student fellowship opportunities.

Sessions

Research in Action: How Important Is Diversity to Students When Choosing a Physician Assistant Program?
Sunday, May 19 //  9:30–10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Cynthia X. Yuen

PA programs are the linchpin of endeavors to increase the diversity of the profession. To inform efforts to recruit more diverse students, this study investigated whether and how much program diversity matters to PA students with different demographic profiles. (This session has a related poster presentation on Monday, May 20. See below for more information.)

Make Your Mark: Student Leadership Opportunities with PAEA
Monday, May 20 // 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Catherine Majewski, John Lopes

Ensuring a bright future for the PA profession starts with developing student leaders who are dedicated to expanding the PA footprint within our nation’s health care system. Please encourage your students who have a desire to influence the future of the PA profession and PA education to join us for a 1-hour classroom session on student leadership opportunities with PAEA, including the Future Educator Fellowship, Student Health Policy Fellowship, and MAT Initiative.

Research Posters

Monday, May 20 // 5:00–6:00 p.m.

Poster 107: How Important Is Diversity to Students When Choosing a Physician Assistant Program? by Cynthia X. Yuen, MA

PA programs are the linchpin of endeavors to increase the diversity of the profession. To inform efforts to recruit more diverse students, this study investigated whether and how much program diversity matters to PA students with different demographic profiles.

Poster 277: Stress and Belonging: Differences in Educational Experiences Among Diverse PA Students by Dominique Frias, BS; Cynthia X. Yuen, MA  

To better understand differences in students’ experiences during PA school, which may inform retention and attrition, we investigated whether students’ gender, race and ethnicity, or student type influence their perceived stress and psychological sense of school membership.