Faculty

The PA Program is home to many highly accomplished faculty and staff who develop, implement and assess our curricula. As evidence of the program's teaching expertise, 55% of the principal faculty hold Master Teacher Leadership Development Certification. Many faculty serve regional and national organizations as leaders in organizations such as:

  • Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), (previous President of the Board, 2 current Committee Chairs)
  • National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), (previous Board Chair and current Board member)
  • Post Baccalaureate Centralized Application Service, (past Co-Chair)
  • Accreditation Review Commission on Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), (previous site visitor and current site visitor)
  • and peer reviewers for multiple medical and education journals (9 journals)

To view a faculty member's full profile, click their underlined name.

Brandon R. Beattie, MMSc, PA-C

Program Director, PA Program
Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Marianne Vail, PhD, PA-C

Associate Program Director, PA Program
Assistant Professor

Jennifer Beauchamp, DHSC, MMS, PA-C

Director of Assessment, PA Program
Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Allison Colby, MPAS, PA-C, CDCES

Director of Equity, Department of PA Studies
Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Nicole Curry MCMS, MJ, PA-C

Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Aaron Henry, MSHS, PA-C

Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies

Debra Herrmann, DHSc., MPH, PA-C

Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence
Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Malwina Huzarska, MS, MMS, PA-C

Director of Didactic Education
Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Susannah Jenkins, MPA, PA-C

Director of the Clinical Education, PA Studies
Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Michael Johnson, MPAS, PA-C

Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Tamara Ritsema, PhD, MPH, PA-C

Director of Professional Practice, PA Program
Associate Professor, PA Studies

Howard Straker, EdD, PA-C

Director, Physician Assistant/MPH Program
Associate Professor, PA Studies

Sawali Sudarshan MD, PhD

Director, Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medicine Program
Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Mary Warner, DBH, PA-C

Chair, Department of Physician Assistant (PA) Studies
Associate Professor, PA Studies

Karen A. Wright, PhD, PA-C

Assistant Professor, PA Studies

Secondary Appointment Faculty

James Gehring, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies (Secondary)
Medical Director, Physician Assistant Program

Ryan Strauss, MPH, MSHS, PA-C

Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine
Associate Clinical Professor of Physician Assistant Studies (Secondary)