All Things PA Education

In this episode, host Dr. Sara Fletcher, CEO of the PA Education Association, chats with Dr. Howard Straker, PA-C, MPH, director of the Physician Assistant/MPH Program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Dr. Nicole Burwell, PA-C, department chair and program director of the North Carolina A&T Physician Assistant Program. The three discuss the pros and cons of an entry level doctorate degree and its impact on the future of the profession.

This episode is sponsored by PA Excel. For more information, visit them online at paexcel.com.

Show notes

Dr. Howard Straker has more than 30 years of PA educational and clinical experience, and is an assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Program. Straker serves as director of the Physician Assistant MPH Program, coordinating the joint degree curriculum across the Physician Assistant Program and four departments within the Milken Institute School of Public Health. He teaches in both the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and the Department of Prevention & Community Health. Straker’s interests are in the preparation of practitioners to work in underserved communities, diversity and inclusion, health professions workforce, and blended learning pedagogy. 

This episode of All Thing PA Education is produced by Association Briefings.

In our inaugural episode, host Dr. Sara Fletcher, CEO of the PA Education Association, chats with Dr. Sharon Luke, PA-C, executive director of the Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The two discuss notable changes in the accreditation landscape, meeting the challenges of accreditation, alleviating stress on program directors, and accessing leadership.

This episode is sponsored by Sentinel U. For more information, visit them online at sentinelu.com.

Show notes

Sharon Luke, Ed.D., PA-C, is the Executive Director of the Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). She has a long history in the PA profession, serving as clinical PA provider, a PA educator and preceptor, as well as an accreditation site visitor. Inspired by learning first-hand the role that accreditation can play on the quality of education delivered in PA programs, she served two terms as a commissioner of ARC-PA.

Following graduation from PA school, Dr. Luke worked in a private Ob/Gyn practice, while also serving as a clinical preceptor for PA students. She moved from that practice to work at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Department of Palliative Medicine. and in the same year, became a part-time faculty member in the PA program from which she graduated in Ohio. A few years later, she transitioned to becoming the Director of that PA program. She later served as founding PA program director for another program in Ohio. In all, her director role spanned 12

In 2016, Dr. Luke became the Executive Director of the ARC-PA, the sole accrediting body for PA education in the United States. Her continuous goal is to work with the commissioners and satisfy the mission of ARC-PA by protecting the interests and the public via accreditation process and the assurance of quality education in PA programs.

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

The PA Education Association presents All Things PA Education hosted by Dr. Sara Fletcher, a podcast featuring leading experts in PA education discussing trends, philosophies, programs, and issues directly impacting our profession. Check out the trailer for season one!