Each year, fifteen PA students are selected to participate in this exciting year-long fellowship, designed to explore foundations in teaching, expose students to the current educational environment, and expand professional development and leadership opportunities.
Overview
The students have access to a network of mentors and educators, the Future Educator Development Steering Committee, who curates an intentional and impactful educational experience for the fellows.
Selected applicants will kick off the fellowship by attending the annual PAEA Education Forum. After the Forum, Fellows will engage in a year-long virtual experience, working through educational programming to develop foundational and functional educator competencies and demonstrate their learning through modules, teach backs, and scholarly presentations. Fellows will also be invited back for a culminating session at the following Education Forum.
PAEA Future Educator Fellows
The application cycle for the Future Educator Fellowship will be open until July 10. Apply today!
Objectives
The Future Educator Fellowship is designed to enhance PA students’ understanding of the components needed to be a successful PA educator. The fellowship is aligned closely with the PA Educator Competencies to create an initial pathway for educators to begin skill development that allows for professional development throughout one’s career. By the end of the Fellowship, Fellows will understand the elements of the PA Educator Competencies, develop skills within the Foundational PA Educator Competencies, and develop skills within the Functional PA Educator Competencies.
Foundational Educator Competencies
Fellows will develop their skills in teaching, learner-centeredness, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism and role-modeling.
Functional Educator Competencies
Fellows will develop their skills in scholarship development and leadership.
Leadership and Professional Development
Fellows will have opportunities for interprofessional education and research, develop strategies for collaboration with peers and professionals to enhance the quality and design of PA education.
Engagement
The FEF begins by convening students at the PAEA Education Forum to kick off their fellowship experience with the Future Educator Symposium. After the Forum, students are expected to participate in online learning modules, discussions, and planned activities that will continue to enhance their skill set and expose them to a career path in PA education.
We recognize that the life of a PA student is busy with conflicting priorities. Please note that while this fellowship is highly competitive, it is not designed to compete with your first priority as a PA student. Nonetheless, students must commit to the learning experience and the activities required to complete the fellowship.
Sample activities include:
- Monthly Group Check-Ins (via Zoom)
- Brief Assignments/Prework
- Webinars with Invited Speakers
- Engagement in Digital Learning Hub
- Completion of Evaluations
2022–2023 Future Educator Fellows
| Hamza Ahmed, Wingate University |
| Katherine Bullock, Duke University Medical Center |
| Madison Carroll, Marist College |
| Abby Cook, University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Emily DesMeules, University of Utah |
| Taylor Ellsworth, Emory University |
| Bryan Fleischman, Emory University |
| Christopher Heck, University of Iowa |
| Yiting Huang, University of Pittsburgh |
| Katelyn Mokros, Kettering College |
| Audrey Oweimrin, Yale University Physician Associate Program |
| Ted Parker, University of Washington – Seattle |
| Austin Parrish, University of Dayton |
| Elliot Yamin, University of Southern California (LA) |
| Laura Zdiarski-Horodyski, University of Utah |
| Nicole Billen, Saint Louis University |
| Victoria Britt, Wake Forest University (Bowman Gray) |
| Kathryn Burrows, Duke University Medical Center |
| Miya Chipka, Eastern Michigan University |
| Beverly DiCorso, Emory University |
| Muhammad Jan, University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Sarah Kirsch, Yale University Physician Assistant Online Program |
| Thuy Dung Nguyen, University of California – Davis |
| Danielle Paciulli, AdventHealth University |
| Tiffany Passie, MGH Institute of Health Professions |
| Robert (Desi) Rotenberg, South University – Richmond |
| Julie Staton, University of South Alabama |
| Edith Teng, George Washington University |
| Chelsea Waldrop, Yale University Physician Assistant Online Program |
| Teanna DaPonte, South University – Tampa |
| Danielle Polevoi, Stanford University |
| Alisha Zaveri, Thomas Jefferson University – East Falls |
| Aubrey Fiacco, MGH Institute of Health Professions |
| Joshua Montgomery, Shenandoah University |
| Sara Naeem, Wagner College |
| Aliyah Mangrum, University of Pittsburgh |
| Ekaterina Lundberg, University of Kentucky |
| Katherine Crandall, University of Southern California |
| Alexandria Lahdya, University of Washington MEDEX Northwest |
| Diana De La Cruz, Oklahoma City University |
| Amber Rohrberg, University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Denise Kirby, Idaho State University |
| Sara Haroon, Barry University |
| Yenling Yang Hernandez, Touro University – California |
| Kathryn Fossaceca, DeSales University |
| Caitlin Bradley, East Carolina University |
| Alicia Duval, Mercer University |
| Matthew Morrow, Northwestern University |
| Elizabeth Eiseman, University of Dubuque |
| Elizabeth Dingbaum, Chapman University |
| Katya Saenz, University of Colorado – Denver |
| Hwal Lee, Jefferson College of Health Sciences |
| Michael Farran-Brown, University of Kentucky |
| Jessica Veale, Duke University |
| Sara Dover, Mercer University |
| Sunayana Pydah, University of Lynchburg |
| Victoria McQuade, Florida Gulf Coast University |
| Dennis Zelenak, University of Evansville |
| Nicolette LaRosa, Drexel University |
| Winnie Chau, Texas Tech University Health Science Center |
| Erin Dorman, University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Emily Durocher, Penn State University |
| Isidro Figueroa, Texas Tech University Health Science Center |
| Dustin Grossheim, Tufts University |
| Katherine Jamieson, Northeastern University |
| Jennifer Jones, University of Iowa |
| Sarah Kingston, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
| Melanie Lyon, Alderson-Broaddus University |
| Ryan Minier, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science |
| Krista Patefield, Union College |
| Christopher Perkins, UT Southwestern |
| Jeremiah Powers, East Carolina University |
| Dave Rogers, University of Missouri – Kansas City |
| Lauren Tandarich, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine |
| Alvis Trent, Hardin-Simmons University |
Application Process
Please be sure to not include any identifying information such as PA program/graduation year, email, phone number, etc when completing the application.
- Short Essays: Applicants will provide written responses to 7 prompts in 125 words or less.
- Program Director Certification Form: This document is signed by your program director and confirms your ability to participate in the fellowship.
- Faculty Mentor Form: This document is signed by a faculty mentor who you identify to help support your interest in PA education.
- FEF Commitment Form: You must read and sign this form to acknowledge that you recognize the time commitment and effort required by the Future Educator Fellowship and that you understand the requirements for completion of the Fellowship.
Once you complete and finalize your application, the forms will be automatically sent to your program director and faculty mentor.
Your application is not complete until all forms are received!
Applicants will be evaluated on the following:
- Essay responses which clearly describe and demonstrate understanding of FEF’s mission and objectives
Fellowship applicants are required to meet all of the following criteria:
- You must be a current PA student (didactic or clinical) enrolled in a PAEA member program and in good academic standing as of October 2023.
- Your program director must complete the certification form and agree that you can be released from classes or rotations in order to attend the fellowship.
- If you are selected as a fellow, you are expected to attend the PAEA Education Forum in October 2023, October 2024, and participate in all fellowship activities.
Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
- May 1, 2023 – Applications for the 2023-24 fellowship cycle will open
- July 10, 2023 – Applications for the 2023-24 fellowship cycle will close
- Late August – 2023-2024 Fellows will be announced
- October 11-14, 2023 – PAEA Education Forum / Future Educator Symposium
Frequently Asked Questions
Fifteen applicants are selected to be fellows.
Yes, you are still eligible if you graduate before the end of the fellowship. However, you must start the fellowship as a current PA student (didactic or clinical).
There is no application fee. PAEA will cover all expenses associated with the fellowship for the selected applicants.
The fellowship is not designed to compete with your first priority as a PA student. Nonetheless, students must commit to the learning experience and the activities required to complete the fellowship. At most, we might anticipate a few hours a month which might include a group discussion via Zoom.
The faculty mentor is intended to be an additional advisor, apart from the educators on the PAEA Future Educator Development Steering Committee, to support your interest in PA education by answering questions and bouncing ideas off of, etc. The mentor would have regular check-ins with the Fellow to ensure they are on-track, and help them with their capstone project, if necessary.
Once you complete and finalize your application, the form will be automatically sent to your program director and faculty mentor.
The Faculty Mentor and the Program Director certification forms need only their names and emails to confirm their support for your participation in the Future Educator Fellowship program. No formal letter of recommendation is required.