Health Equity and DEI Archives

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

Carl Frizell Advocates for Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

As an educator and mentor, PA Carl Frizell focuses on creating equitable educational environments so students, faculty, and staff feel safe and have the resources they need to meet their goals. It’s a framework that Frizell also encourages his PA students to consider using in their future clinical environments.

January 19, 2024

PA Teresa Lowe Advocates for Culturally Competent Care for Alaska Natives

PA Teresa Lowe grew up in Mountain Village, Alaska, a rural community where about 97% of the population is Alaska Native or American Indian. Today, as the Anchorage campus coordinator for the MEDEX Northwest PA Program, Lowe aims to help future PAs provide more compassionate care for these populations.

November 3, 2023

Minority-Focused Shadowing Program Aims to Boost PA Diversity

Infectious disease PA Jina Saltzman noticed a lack of diversity in the PA profession over her nearly 20-year career and decided to do something to help. With a grant from the University of Chicago Medicine’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, she started the program Empowering Minority Pre-PA Students Through Healthcare Shadowing.

October 4, 2023

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