FEATURE
NEW DIRECTIONS
With the launch of Rhode Island's first physician assistant
program, a ground-breaking collaboration with Brown
University, and the university's first bachelor's degree
programs in the liberal arts, Johnson & Wales approaches a
new century of innovative education.
Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Director George Bottomley,
D.V.M., P.A.-C., speaks enthusiastically about a pioneering
educational offering in Rhode Island — one of only
four states without a PA program. Pending provisional
accreditation, JWU will begin training its first class seeking
a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in June
2014. In March, JWU reached a landmark agreement with
Brown University's Alpert Medical School, now housed
just blocks away from the Center for Physician Assistant
Studies, that could align education with emerging trends in
health care delivery.
"Johnson & Wales has a long history as a teaching
university that forges academic programs in high-demand
fields," says Providence Campus President and COO Mim L.
Runey, LP.D. "Our emergence into the health care field will
allow us to expand our academic programs and fulfill the
needs of students as well as industry."
Feedback from studies, employers and recent graduates
shows the importance of skills such as oral and written
communications, critical thinking, problem solving, ethical
awareness and literacy.
In response, the following new courses of study have been
designed to meet changing demands. – read more
Center for Physician Assistant Studies
