PA Student Sabrina Leonard Prioritizes Advocacy and Community Involvement

‘I definitely want to be a part of the change.’

June 10, 2025

By Jennifer Walker

“My transition to healthcare was in response to a very traumatic event,” said Sabrina Leonard, a PA student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). In 2016, Leonard’s dad, George Watson, Sr., was shot eight times while attempting to break up a fight. Today, he is physically disabled and in a wheelchair. Leonard said he is doing great: He spends his days caring for a young family member and makes repairs on his car. But it was the care he received from his provider team right after this horrific incident that made an impact on her.

“When you have those very traumatic experiences and your providers and healthcare team as a whole are the people who literally save your life, they make an impression on you,” said Leonard, adding that her father trusted his care team implicitly. “That really helped me fall in love with healthcare.”

Over the next several years, she focused on shifting from a corporate career to medicine, first working as a part-time laboratory assistant, then becoming a patient care technician while pursuing her nursing degree. After four years as a nurse, she decided to become a physician associate.

Now, a PA student at UAMS, Leonard prioritizes advocacy and has taken on several fellowship and volunteer roles with organizations like the PA Education Association (PAEA), the Osmosis Health Leadership Institute, and the American Society of Black PAs.

“I want to be a part of the decision-making process and I want a seat at the table to give my two cents,” said Leonard, who will graduate in the fall. “So I’m shedding light on how PA students can still be active participants in their profession and community while pursuing education and training.”

Building a Second Career in Healthcare
Leonard’s initial interest in healthcare was sparked by her aunt, Joycelyn Elders, who became the first African American and the second woman to hold the title of U.S. Surgeon General in 1993.

As a nurse, Leonard—who worked in medical surgery, ambulatory care, and women’s health—focused on explaining the complete health situation to her patients while offering tools to address challenges and help them reach their goals. She has also volunteered at community organizations like food pantries and shelters to learn about resources that can address social determinants of health, such as food insecurity. At her library, she found a program in which patrons can pick up a free bag of food, then later watch a virtual cooking demonstration about turning the ingredients into a meal—a valuable tool for her patients who need support with healthy eating.

“You never know what people can do if you don’t give them a chance to show you, and that rings true for our patients,” she said. “We have to give them a complete clinical picture and make sure they have a true understanding of what it means, what it looks like for them, and offer them resources.”

Leonard had planned to attend medical school, but after shadowing a PA, she changed course. Leonard loved that as a PA, she would be able to educate patients, reconcile their medications, and diagnosis and treat their conditions while also practicing more quickly. “We have a deficit of providers, and I wanted to fill that void right away,” she said.

Leonard started the PA program at the UAMS in 2023. During her time as a student, she felt called to speak about issues that were important to her, from advocating for higher education financial reforms that would directly impact PA students to mentoring pre-PAs who plan to enter the profession.

Prioritizing Advocacy and Community Efforts
As a PA student with a background in medicine and patient care, Leonard looks for ways to go above and beyond. “I wanted to do something that was school adjacent, positive, and productive, and my personal passions are advocacy in education or diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” she said.

In 2024, Leonard took on a memorable advocacy role when she was accepted into the PAEA Student Health Policy Fellowship program. As a fellow, she focused on advocating for financial benefits for PA students. For example, she was part of a team that met virtually with legislators to talk about establishing subsidized federal loans for professional and graduate students. Leonard also championed the reinstatement of the Graduate PLUS Loan program, a valuable tool for students who need financial resources for higher education.

Although neither of these motions passed, Leonard learned how to be objective in her presentations while also weaving in personal stories that are relevant to the cause at hand. She kept this in mind last fall when she traveled with PAEA to the Washington, D.C. area for AAPA’s Leadership and Advocacy Summit. There, Leonard advocated for the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act, which would allow PAs to treat and certify patients whose ailments are covered through workers’ compensation. The bill passed two weeks after the conference on September 26, 2024.

“Witnessing the fruit of our advocacy efforts so quickly was amazing,” Leonard said. “That is what fueled my fire to stay involved.”

Additionally, as a mentor with the National Society of Black PAs, Leonard—who is also a director with the PA-S Leadership, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Diversity Group—has mentored three pre-PA students. She gives feedback on their personal statements, advising them to think about their goals beyond a PA program, and encourages them to speak up on issues they care about as PA students.

For Leonard, every activity she participates in helps shape the PA she will become. “I don’t want to just check a box. I want to be intentional about it,” said Leonard, who has been offered a position as a PA in the NICU at UAMS Medical Center after graduation. “That’s what becoming a PA has been for me: I’m very intentional in everything I’m doing.”

Jennifer Walker is a freelance writer in Baltimore, MD. Contact Jennifer at [email protected].

You Might Also Like
PA Student Juilana Feeney Aims to Boost Workforce Diversity by Educating Younger Generations
Kathryn Reed Makes Her Mark on the PA Profession
PA Student Kaleo Lee and Classmates Start a Donation Drive to Support Those Affected by the Maui fires in Hawaii