With the inception of the UNC Physician Assistant Program, we are trying to foster more of a community presence with the PAs who are already in practice within the UNC system. This has led to the development of CAPA: Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants.
The goals for this group are several fold: for PAs at UNC to come together and create more of a community identity, to serve as a platform for UNC PA clinicians to connect, to provide opportunities for PA student mentoring, and for the development of potential CME events, among others. Luigi Troiani, a longtime PA at UNC, and myself are working to launch this group. Thus far we have 16 PAs who are mentors to our current class of PA students. We have hosted an event for the mentors to meet the students in January, and the mentors were also invited to attend the White Coat Ceremony for the PA students. We look forward to continuing the development of this group and engaging the UNC PA community as it will undoubtedly expand with our new program. We hope this will be a way to help connect PAs to the APP center too, as the visibility of the Center increases even further.