PA History: Faces We Should All Know!

This year’s theme for PA week was “PAs go beyond!” I love that, because it is true in so many ways. PAs go beyond expectations, beyond requirements, beyond borders, stereotypes, imagination, and even beyond Earth, thanks to Hayley Arceneaux, PA-C, the first PA to go to space in 2021.

National PA Week is a time to reflect on how far the profession has come since its founding in 1965 and honor the educators and mentors who shape the future of Physician Associates. I have the pleasure of working with a team of outstanding PAs. Each year, I am amazed and gratified at how PAs continue to expand into every corner of medicine and improve public health.

So, to continue celebrating our calling, I’d like to spotlight a few “PA heroes” whose careers remind us that our work stretches far beyond the walls of any one clinic. These individuals have carried the PA spirit into communities, classrooms, policy debates, and even battlefields. Their stories showcase the adaptability and courage that define our profession and the educators who helped them along the way.

Joyce Nichols: A Trailblazer for Access and Equity

Joyce Nichols was one of the earliest pioneers of the PA profession, and she holds a special place in history as the first African American woman PA. At a time when the profession was still fighting for recognition, she became not only a skilled clinician but also a powerful advocate for underserved communities.

Nichols helped establish the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants and mentored countless students who followed in her footsteps. She once said, “I knew this was the right profession for me. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, especially those who didn’t always have access to care.”

Her example reminds us that education isn’t just about medical skills—it’s about instilling the courage to serve where the need is greatest.

Prentiss Harrison and the Minority Affairs Committee

Prentiss Lee Harrison, a member of Duke’s very first PA class in 1967, became the first Black graduate of the profession. He quickly recognized that diversity and representation had to be built into the foundation of PA education. With his colleagues John Davis, Earl Echard, and Steve Turnipseed, he helped create the AAPA’s Minority Affairs Committee.

“We wanted the PA profession to reflect the people it served—and to serve everyone equally,” Harrison recalled. That vision still shapes our community today, as educators and students commit to inclusivity and equity in healthcare.

Major Jonathan Monti: Medicine in Combat Boots

Not all PAs work in traditional clinics. Major Jonathan Monti, an Emergency Medicine PA in the U.S. Army, exemplifies the courage and adaptability of PAs serving on the front lines.

In 2016, Monti was named Emergency Medicine PA of the Year for his work in combat zones and high-stakes emergency care. “When you’re the only provider on the ground, you are responsible for stabilizing lives until the next level of care. That’s a weight PAs are trained to carry.”

Monti’s career reminds us that PA training equips clinicians to act decisively under pressure, whether in a rural emergency department or a military field hospital.

Barbara Coombs Lee: From Exam Room to Policy Reform

Some PAs leave their mark not only on patients but also on society at large. Barbara Coombs Lee began her career as a PA and nurse practitioner but went on to earn her law degree and become a national leader in the end-of-life care movement.

As president of Compassion & Choices, she advocated for legislation that expanded patient rights, including death-with-dignity laws. “My training as a PA gave me the patient-centered lens that has guided every step of my work. At the end of life, as at the beginning, patients deserve dignity, compassion, and a voice in their care.”

Her journey shows how PAs can shape medicine clinically and ethically.

Susann Galloway: Building the Future Through Education

For every high-profile PA in policy, advocacy, or medicine, there are educators whose impact is quieter but no less profound. Susann Galloway, PA-C, DFAAPA, has spent decades teaching and mentoring, combining her clinical expertise with a passion for education - even taking the PA profession to the country of Ireland!.

“The classroom is where the future of the profession begins. Every student who gains confidence in their skills is one more life touched down the road,” she has said. Her dedication highlights what many PA educators know: that shaping the next generation is heroic work. She recently became an AAPA Distinguished Fellow for outstanding commitment to the profession.

Conclusion

I regret that this blog isn’t long enough to expand on these professionals' countless contributions. Still, I encourage you to visit aapa.org or pahx.org (the Physician Assistant History Society) to learn more. PAs like these remind us of the remarkable breadth of our profession. None of them walked a predictable path. Each built a career on adaptability, resilience, and vision—the qualities that PA educators strive to nurture in their students, and what’s more, the qualities that are traits of every PA I know.

I hope these stories spark pride and inspiration as we celebrate PA Week. They are proof that the impact of a PA education can ripple far beyond what any of us might expect. The student in today’s classroom may become tomorrow’s trailblazers, advocates, soldiers, and policymakers.

This PA Week, we thank those who came before us and celebrate the students who are our future. Every moment we provide education is an investment in possibilities far beyond what we can predict.

Please join me again next week, and we’ll continue “going beyond” together!

Resources

pahx.org

Army.mil

wikipedia.org

aapa.org