Author Archives: marycatr

Alyssa Espinoza, a second-year physician assistant (PA) student at UNC, is a testament to the program’s commitment to veterans with military health backgrounds. An Army veteran with rich experience as a medical service officer and CNA, Espinoza recently completed her surgical rotation at the VA Hospital in Fayetteville, NC. Her...

Four Physician Assistant students, Jose Diaz-Perez, Nyah Townsend, Alyssa Espinoza and Alice McCaffrey, have been awarded the 2024 student scholarships through the UNC PA Program. Jose Diaz-Perez: Kenan Physician Assistant Educational Enhancement Fund Jose Diaz-Perez was awarded the Kenan Physician Assistant Educational Enhancement Fund, a scholarship that aims to fund...

Nicholas Wiley, PA-C, graduate of the Physician Assistant Studies program and veteran of the United States Navy, has returned to UNC as an assistant professor in the PA program. Wiley served as a Special Operations Independent Duty Corpsman in the military before enrolling at UNC. “I was initially going to...

Class of 2023 Celebrates Graduation At the close of 2023, 17 students graduated from the Physician Assistant program with a Master of Health in Physician Assistant Studies. In a ceremony hosted on Friday, December 8 at Moeser Auditorium, students were celebrated for their hard work and accomplishments during their two...

Following a national search, Katie Hanlon, MMS, PA-C (’06) has been named Program Director of the Division of Physician Assistant Studies, housed within the Department of Health Sciences and UNC’s School of Medicine. Hanlon has been serving as Interim Program Director since December 2022. Clinically, she has experience in emergency...

The Division of Physician Assistant Studies was ranked #50 by U.S. News & World Report in the publication’s 2023 rankings of Physician Assistant programs in America. This is the first year the program has been eligible for ranking by U.S. News & World Report. The program enrolled its first class...

The Division of Physician Assistant Studies held its annual graduation ceremony on December 9, 2022 and awarded 19 Master of Health Sciences degrees. The class of 2022 and their guests were welcomed by Chileatha Wynn, Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor. Dr. Jonathon Heath, Assistant Professor of Medicine and...

The Physician Assistant Studies DEI Committee hosted a mentor/mentee luncheon on November 18, 2022, for the incoming class of PA students. The luncheon was held at The Friday Center and included lunch, icebreakers, guest speakers and time for mentors and mentees to get to know each other. Chileatha Wynn, Director...

Katie Hanlon, MMS, PA-C (’06) has been named Interim Program Director of the Division of Physician Assistant Studies. Hanlon is a physician assistant who has been a core faculty member since 2018 in the division, which is housed within the Department of Health Sciences within UNC’s School of Medicine. Clinically,...

After four years at West Point and 10 years of service in the U.S. Army as a helicopter pilot, Robert Bender wasn’t sure what the next phase of his career might look like. However, his twin brother is a physician assistant (PA) and introduced Bender to the profession. As he...