Department of Physician Assistant Studies & Practice
After 27 Years of Service, PA Program Director Lori Palfreyman Bids Farewell After 27 years with SHP, Lori Palfreyman, director of the Physician Assistant Program, is retiring from Rutgers. She first joined the program as a guest lecturer in women’s health, bringing her expertise as a practicing clinician, and later became a [...]
Love, Loss, and a Longboard: PA Alum Joey Leveille Rolls into Reality TV Fame When a prospective student rolled up to his informational interview on a longboard — and popped it into his hand with a practiced kick — Jennifer Joseph, an assistant professor in the Rutgers Physician Assistant program, was horrified. “I [...]
Rutgers Physician Assistant Studies is Third in U.S. News and World Report’s Graduate School Rankings The top-five program accepts 50 students per cohort from more than 1,500 applicants annually The physician assistant program at the Rutgers School of Health Professions is ranked No. 3 in the nation for 2025-26, according to U.S. News [...]
From Modest Beginnings to National Acclaim: Rutgers’ Physician Assistant Program Turns 50 Fifty years ago, Rutgers SHP’s Physician Assistant (PA) program launched as New Jersey’s only one of its kind—with just a dozen students who couldn’t even practice in-state due to outdated laws. Today, it’s a nationally ranked powerhouse, producing top-tier PAs who shape [...]
The Long Jumper and the Stand-Up Comedian: Two Unconventional Paths to PA School 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 [...]
PA Program’s Commitment to Service is Recognized with Scholarship The Physician Assistant (PA) program received the Esther Elliott Martin Scholarship award in recognition of its commitment to community service, including its work with the Health Outreach Practice Experience (H.O.P.E.) Clinic, which provides primary care services to those who are uninsured or underinsured. The $2,000 [...]