A national champion in the long jump, Madisen Richards twice competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials before feeling pulled in another direction. She is now a first year-student in the Rutgers SHP Physician Assistant (PA) program.

PA students Salvatore LoPizzo and Madisen Richards

Salvatore LoPizzo had commanded the stage as a stand-up comedian until the pandemic closed comedy clubs. As he watched friends in the medical field battling on the front lines during COVID-19, he found a new calling. He, too, is now a fellow student in the PA program.

Students studying to be physician assistants at Rutgers SHP come from a range of backgrounds and their unique experiences have helped them to succeed in one of the nation’s most competitive and selective programs.

“I’m used to training hard for a goal that’s years away,” Richards said. “Now I’m training my brain instead of my body, making a plan for what I’m going to study each day and then showing up to the exam to compete.”

Richards graduated from the University of Southern California in 2018, where she earned NCAA All-American honors and won a national championship as a member of the track and field team.

Competing as a professional, she twice hit the qualifying mark to be invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and Paris in 2024.

After placing seventh at the 2024 trials (only top three go to the Olympics), Richards knew she was ready to retire from her athletic career before the next four-year Olympic cycle. As a child, she had spent time after school in the doctor’s office where her mother worked as a nurse, and had envisioned a future in health care.

“I met a PA through a volunteer opportunity and realized it shares a lot of qualities I really liked about sports,” she said. “Track and field is a team sport, but you compete in your individual event. As a PA you have autonomy as a provider but also work closely as a care team with other aspects of health care.”

Salvatore LoPizzo

LoPizzo had performed comedy for ten years, beginning in San Francisco and then in New York City, before finding himself quarantined and wondering what was next.

“I have friends who are doctors and nurses, and I was really inspired by the work they were doing during COVID to help patients,” he reflected. “I started to look into what that might look like for me and what paths I could take to get into medicine.”

Despite coming from different fields, both point to skills from their previous pursuits that help them succeed in the PA program. “People think stand-up comedians get up on stage and just talk, but there’s a lot of preparation to learn a set,” said LoPizzo. “Now for patient assessments, I’m memorizing a physical routine and performing the right steps every time.”

Program Director Lori Palfreyman

Program Director Lori Palfreyman said the program looks for more than high grade point averages and patient care hours when considering applicants .

“We seek multifaceted individuals with interesting, varied backgrounds who will translate their past experiences and skills to excellent patient care,” she said. “On the surface, a passion for sports, marching band, robotics, mountaineering, or entrepreneurial pursuits may appear different; however, at their core, they all require similar skills: planning, self-motivation, resilience, problem solving, flexibility, and teamwork.”

Athough their paths to the program were different, Richards and LoPizzo are certain that the PA program, which ranks among the top ten programs in the country, is the right place for them.

Said Richards, “I’ve always been very service-oriented, and the PA program has the same mindset.” Through the program’s pro-bono primary care clinic in Plainfield, she said she “can see the direct impact of volunteering and taking care of the community you’re in.”

“Everyone is excited to be here. You feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself and everyone is on your team,” added LoPizzo.