Medical school welcomes in thriving physician assistant studies department
Published Jul 17, 2026 by
- Bobby Ampezzan
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- East Carolina University’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies joined the Brody School of Medicine to expand interdisciplinary medical education and strengthen North Carolina’s healthcare workforce.
- ECU’s Physician Assistant Studies program maintains a 99% first-time PANCE pass rate, outperforming the 92% national average.
- The move strengthens physician assistant education, clinical collaboration and healthcare workforce development in eastern North Carolina.
The Department of Physician Assistant Studies at East Carolina University officially joined the Brody School of Medicine on July 1, opening the door to collaboration, interdisciplinary education and workforce development that deepen the university’s commitment to improving healthcare in eastern North Carolina and the state
Previously housed in the College of Allied Health Sciences, the Physician Assistant Studies program was moved following a university realignment that established the College of Health and Human Sciences, bringing together the former colleges of Allied Health Sciences and Health and Human Performance. The realignment made transitioning the program to the Brody School of Medicine a logical move
Physician assistant candidates are recognized at a ceremony inside the East Carolina Heart Institute auditorium in December. The ceremony marks students’ transition from 15 months of classroom study over 15 months to their year of clinical rotations
Physician assistant (PA) training is similar to physician training but for fewer months and without a required residency (the three- to seven-year academic training period that’s required of doctors). PAs see patients, make diagnoses, develop care plans and prescribe medicine in conjunction with a board-certified physician. Many surgical specialists are aided in the operating room by PAs
“Medicine today takes a team approach, and the Brody School of Medicine sits at the center of training healthcare leaders for eastern North Carolina and the state,” said Dr. Jason Higginson, executive dean of the Brody School of Medicine. “Physician assistants are highly trained clinicians who will one day work together with physicians and specialists — many of them will also be Brody alumni. So, yes, let’s create the opportunity for interdisciplinary education and strengthen our workforce pipeline that answers the call to improve the health of eastern North Carolina.”
The program has established itself as one of the university’s most competitive and successful graduate programs. More than 1,250 students applied for 40 seats in the incoming class of 2028, which begins coursework in August
“The ECU physician assistant program has earned a strong reputation both within North Carolina and nationally through the quality of its students, outstanding certification outcomes and successful graduate placement,” said Jane Trapp, who directs the program. “The move to the Brody School of Medicine creates opportunities for deeper collaboration with physician faculty and clinical partnerships, greater access to the Interprofessional Simulation Center for skills training, and more standardized, team-based learning that’s the standard approach in modern care settings.”
The department can boast a first-time pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), the national boards for the profession, of 99% over the last five years. The national average is 92%
PA programs’ curriculum generally mirrors many aspects of medical education. Students complete a 27-month course of study, including 15 months of classroom and laboratory instruction followed by 12 months of clinical rotations. Those rotations include family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health and emergency medicine
“We want to take advantage of the additional remaintaining the PA program’s identity and mission, educational autonomy and accreditation standards.”
The program joins Brody during a major expansion of the medical school’s physical footprint. Next summer, the university will celebrate the opening of the Brody Center for Medical Education, a seven-story, $265-million facility that will expand medical education and student work-life spaces
‘Let’s Build Relationships’
One advantage PAs enjoy over doctors is that, because they do not complete residency, it is relatively easy for them to change specialties mid-career
Matt Blount, 24, is an ECU graduate and member of the physician assistant program class of 2027
“When they first graduate, physician assistants may be interested in emergency medicine, but later in life, if they grow tired of shift work, they can move to family medicine and work standard hours,” said Carey McDonald, clinical education director for the program. “That flexibility is a draw for the PA profession.”
About 3 in 10 ECU-trained physician assistants choose to begin their careers at ECU Health, providing care across a broad spectrum of specialties, including adult and pediatric orthopedics, hospital medicine, neurology, cardiology, pediatric and infectious disease ICUs, primary care, and many other hospital departments and ambulatory clinics throughout the health system
Matt Blount is a member of the program’s class of 2027. Greenville is his hometown, and his undergraduate degree from ECU is in public health, where he also served as Student Government Association vice president
The move will reinforce the modern practice of team-based medicine, Blount said, and he hopes it results in more unplanned conversations with medical students “waiting for elevators, passing one another in the hall” that end in organic professional friendships
“Let’s build relationships now, during our education, before we enter the field,” he said
“I would love to see more collaboration between PA and MD students like we do already as volunteers at the Pitt County Care Clinic. It’s a breath of fresh air to see how our students interact with one another, especially while serving our population of eastern North Carolina.”
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