AAPA Health Equity & Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Resource Center
The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) is committed to reducing health disparities, promoting health equity and enhancing the diversity of the PA profession.
What is Health Equity?
Health equity is when everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain optimal health.
(Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2024)
What is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?
Diversity, “is a way to describe all aspects of humanity – including our individual differences, characteristics, and experiences. Diversity is the concept of including all people and valuing their differences.”
Equity, “recognizes that resources are unevenly distributed and considers the specific needs or circumstances of a person or group to provide the resources needed to help them be successful. Equity is different from equality.”
Inclusion, “provides the opportunity and environment where everyone has a meaningful experience in and contribution [toward AAPA] and health systems and discourages feelings of being unwelcome, left out, or out of place.” (AAMC, 2024)
Explore Our Work
- 2024 Health Equity Report
- AAPA DEI Committee
- Continuing education for PAs and other healthcare providers
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
In 2020, social unrest coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, and health disparities were laid bare. To bolster our commitment to achieving health equity and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the PA profession, the AAPA Board of Directors established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission in August 2020. During the 2024 AAPA House of Delegates, the Commission was solidified into the AAPA Policy Bylaws, establishing it as the AAPA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
The AAPA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is working to increase opportunities for diverse emerging leaders to join AAPA volunteer, board, and constituent organization positions and developing interventions to address health disparities in diverse populations. In addition, the committee works to enhance the PAthways Program to increase diverse representation in PA schools. Finally, the committee collaborates with other commissions, organizations, and staff to ensure cross-organizational work on health equity and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and reviews AAPA policies.
Diversifying the PA Workforce
Pre-PAs: To increase diverse representation in the PA workforce, AAPA partners with PAEA to share information about the PA profession with high school students through Project Access.
PA Students: To support diverse PA students as they matriculate to and through PA school, AAPA offers the PAthways program which includes mentoring and other resources.
News and Communications
Shaping Future Leaders: PA Rashadah Jordan’s Impact Through PAthways Mentorship Program
Rashadah Jordan, PA-C, DMS-C, PSY-CAQ, has mentored prospective PA students since 2019 and knows the value of having someone that can offer encouragement and understands the process. Jordan is currently mentoring two students in AAPA’s PAthways program, including recent graduate Tamera Robinson.
February 10, 2025
PA Lili Barajas and Her Commitment to Health Equity and Representation in Medicine
In the aftermath of the tragic Los Angeles wildfires, volunteers like PA Lili Barajas jumped into action to aid in relief efforts. Barajas is no stranger to giving back and is dedicated to serving underserved communities and increasing representation in healthcare.
February 7, 2025
Empowering the Next Generation of PAs, Honoring the Legacy of Joyce Nichols
The Joyce Nichols Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the Physician Associate Foundation (PAF), is open to Black or African American PA students who demonstrate passion for the PA profession, commitment to serving their communities and future patients, and exceptional leadership potential. Read more about the five students who received the scholarship in 2024 and how it has helped shape their journeys.
February 3, 2025
Laurel Health Advisors, American Academy of Physician Associates Announce Contract to Study the Role of PAs in Enhancing Healthcare Accessibility and Equity
Today, Laurel Health Advisors announced its contract, awarded by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), to conduct a groundbreaking study evaluating how physician associates/assistants (PAs) contribute to improving healthcare accessibility and equity across the United States.
November 21, 2024
PA Lavette Shirley Elee Co-Founded a Women’s Health Nonprofit to Provide Vital Education to Underserved Populations
Lavette Shirley Elee is raising awareness about breast cancer and other women’s health topics through the Women’s Health and Resilience Foundation, an organization she founded with her two best friends to fill gaps in health literacy and improve patient outcomes, primarily for underserved populations.
October 24, 2024
PA Student Juliana Feeney Aims to Boost Workforce Diversity by Educating Younger Generations
By reaching students as early as possible, Juliana Feeney hopes to move the needle toward more diversity among PAs. With a grant from nccPA Health Foundation, she is publishing a children’s book, “El Heroico Asociado Médico” (The Hero Physician Associate), to help educate the healthcare providers of the future.
October 11, 2024
Brigadier General Bill Soliz Reaches Professional Milestone by Becoming the First Active-Duty PA to Hold the Rank of General
On May 11, 2024, Bill Soliz, PA-C, DMSc, and his family attended a ceremony in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was promoted to Brigadier General—a milestone for the PA profession. Brig. Gen. Soliz shares his background and the journey that led him to this momentous achievement.
October 3, 2024
AAPA Announces Kimberly Williams, MPP, as Inaugural Vice President, Health Equity & DEI
The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) has announced that Kimberly Williams, MPP, will serve as the organization’s inaugural Vice President of Health Equity & DEI.
September 30, 2024
Opening Doors, One Classroom at a Time
During AAPA 2024, two Project Access sessions took place at local Houston schools to introduce students from minority and underserved communities to the PA profession and encourage them to explore becoming a PA. Learn how you can host an event in your community!
July 11, 2024
PA Jona Tanguay Takes a Leading Role in Boosting Equality for LGBTQ+ Patients and Providers
Improving quality of care for patients and advocating for equity among health professionals are seemingly two different objectives. For Jona Tanguay, MMSc, PA-C, AAHIVS, medical program lead for substance use disorder treatment at Whitman-Walker Health, the two goals go hand in hand—especially when they pertain to people who identify as LGBTQ+.
June 17, 2024
2024 PA Student of the Year Advocates for Inclusivity and Interprofessional Collaboration
Jade O. Norman, MHS, is the 2024 recipient of the PA Student of the Year Award. A PA student at Meharry Medical College, Norman is passionate about health equity and is Director of Community Engagement for the nation’s first medical concierge service for lower socioeconomic families
May 16, 2024
2024 Military Service Award Recipient Hopes to Lead by Example in Service
Leticia Bland, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C , is the 2024 recipient of the Military Service Award. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Bland volunteers her time to care for underserved communities. In her role as an educator, she helps her students learn to treat diverse populations.
May 16, 2024
2024 Diversity Award Recipient Breaks Down Language Barriers for Spanish-Speaking Patients
Paola Gonzalez, MPAS, PA-C, is the 2024 recipient of the Diversity Award. A PA for more than 20 years, Gonzalez is passionate about helping communities who face diminished resources and healthcare disparities. She is the current president of PAs for Latino Health.
May 16, 2024
PAs Create Program to Boost Representation of Black Men in the PA Profession
To address the low percentage of Black men in the PA profession, PAs Lucy Kibe and Samuel Paik established the Empowering Diversity, Growth, and Excellence (EDGE-PA) program to offer tools and mentorship to potential PA students.
February 23, 2024
5 PAs Who Helped Shape AAPA’s Minority Affairs Committee
Prentiss Lee Harrison, John Davis, Joyce Nichols, Earl Echard, and Steve Turnipseed are names that every PA should be familiar with. Together, they worked closely to establish and support AAPA’s Minority Affairs Committee, and helped shape the PA profession we know today.
February 1, 2024
Partnerships
Some of our key partnerships include
- Pfizer PAthways
- Colorado Health Foundation PAthways
- Cigna Youth Mental Health
- RBC Student Mental Health
- Exact Sciences FQHC
- Vituity
Resources for Promoting DEI & Health Equity
- Advancing Healthcare Equity Together
- American Hospital Association: Four Strategies to Drive Health-Equity Success
- American Hospital Association on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- AMA Center for Health Equity
- American Public Health Association
- Approaching Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through a Future Oriented Lens
- CDC Health Equity Fact Sheet
- CMS Framework for Health Equity
- CMS Strategic Plan for Health Equity
- Diversity and Discrimination in Health Care
- Health Equity: The Only Path Forward for Primary Care
- Health Equity Science: Data to Inform Health Equity Actions
- Health Equity
- Health Equity and Healthy People 2030
- Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in the Healthcare Workforce
- National Center for Quality Assurance
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- The Case for Diversity in Health Professions Remains Powerful
- Why DEI in Healthcare Is Central to Employee Retention
- Why Health Care Companies Should “Walk the Walk” When It Comes to DEI
AAPA Pillars for Health Equity
Ask a Question
For questions on AAPA’s work to advance health equity, please contact Kim Williams, Vice President of Health Equity & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, at [email protected].