Prema Menezes, PA, PhD

Thank you for your interest in the UNC Chapel Hill Physician Assistant (PA) master’s degree program currently being developed within the UNC School of Medicine, Department of Allied Health Sciences.  This important new endeavor has drawn attention from across North Carolina and the United States, both because of its potential to help improve health care throughout the state and because of its goal to enroll military veterans. 

I hope the information on this Web site will help to answer any questions you have about the program’s current status and planned future. Below are some points that address the most frequent inquiries I have received over the past few months.

• The UNC PA program will be open to all qualified applicants. Click here for provisional admission requirements.
• All veterans, especially those with military medical backgrounds and those from the U.S. Army Special Forces, are encouraged to apply.
• The UNC PA program is currently the only program in North Carolina with a stated goal to enroll veterans, and our admissions review will recognize and provide credit for military service. Veterans, like all other applicants, must meet the minimum requirements for admissions.
• The UNC PA program is not yet accepting applications for admission. Check back in March 2014 for updates on the process.

The plan to establish a PA program at UNC Chapel Hill was first announced in December 2012.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the UNC School of Medicine, with input from U.S. Army Special Forces Command, developed a plan for a program that could provide a pathway for U.S. Army Special Forces Medical Sergeants to translate the skills and expertise gained through military service into a civilian career.  BCBSNC made a $1.2 million commitment to help the University launch the program, and we are grateful for their continued support.

 If all goes according to plan, the next two years will be very exciting, as the UNC PA program receives approval and accreditation, hires faculty, welcomes its first students, and begins classes.  I look forward to all of these milestones and many more to come.

 Sincerely,

Prema Menezes, PA, PhD
Director, UNC Physician Assistant Program