Discussing Entry-Level Doctoral Degrees

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.

Dr. Nicole B. Burwell, PA-C, is the founding director of the Physician Assistant Studies master's program and chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and the John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences. She is a well-known figure in the PA field, currently serving as president-elect for PAEA. She is formerly director of the pre-clerkship for the Stanford University M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies program and director of clinical education for The George Washington University PA program.

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