Department of Family Medicine

Return to: Keck School of Medicine of USC

Division of Physician Assistant Studies
Primary Care Physician Assistant Program
1000 South Fremont Avenue
Unit 7, Building A11, Room 11-150
Alhambra, CA 91803
(626) 457-4240
FAX: (626) 457-4245
Email: uscpa@usc.edu
usc.edu/pa
Program Director: Kevin Lohenry, PhD, PA-C

Medical Directors: Ignacio DeArtola, MD; Raymond Waliany, MD

Faculty

Professor of Clinical Family Medicine: D. Lie, MEd, MD

Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine: C. Feifer, DrPH

Assistant Professors of Clinical Family Medicine: I. DeArtola, MD; C. Forest, MSHS, PA-C; L. Landry-Taylor, MA, PA; K. Lohenry, PhD, PA-C; A. Vallejo, PhD; R. Waliany, MD; Emily WhiteHorse, MA Ed, PA-C

Instructors of Clinical Family Medicine: M. D’Aquila, MACM, PA-C; M. Maldonado, MPH, PA-C; D. Mayo, MPAS, PA; J. Tramel, MS-HPE, PA-C; A. Walsh, MMSc, PA-C; J. Wegler, MMS, PA-C

The faculty listed above are faculty with the Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC.

The Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC prepares students to practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. Students earn a Master of Physician Assistant Practice (MPAP) degree upon completion of the program.

The MPAP degree program offered by the Division of Physician Assistant Studies is part of the Department of Family Medicine. Preclinical instruction is provided by physician assistant program faculty and faculty from other departments within the Keck School of Medicine, the USC School of Pharmacy, other divisions within the Health Sciences Campus, as well as clinicians from the surrounding communities. Emphasis is placed on primary care medicine and caring for medically underserved populations. Clinical training occurs at various clinical sites throughout the greater Los Angeles region, including the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Long Beach Memorial Family Practice Residency, private offices and managed-care settings, community-based clinics, VA facilities and specialty settings.

Students complete eight, six-week clinical clerkships in emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics, general surgery, women’s health, and a one-week mental health/behavioral medicine clerkship. These clerkships emphasize the development of necessary clinical skills as well as learning how to work as part of a health care team. The Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC is committed to recruiting diverse applicants and preparing graduates to practice in medically underserved communities.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC sponsored by the University of Southern California. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2018. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program is approved by the Physician Assistant Committee (PAC) of the Medical Board of California. Graduates must pass the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam to qualify for licensure throughout the United States.

Pi Alpha Honor Society

The program participates in the Pi Alpha Honor Society, which is the national Physician Assistant honor society organized for the promotion and recognition of both PA students and graduates. Membership signifies the inductees’ significant academic achievement and honors them for their leadership, research, community/professional service and other related activities. The society also encourages a high standard of character and conduct among students and graduates. Students are encouraged to apply for this honor during their final semester in the program, but selection is done via an application process and review by current members of the society.

Programs

Master’s Degree

• Physician Assistant Practice (MPAP)

Courses

Primary Care Physician Assistant

• PCPA 503 Behavioral Sciences I
• PCPA 506 Behavioral Sciences II
• PCPA 509 Behavioral Sciences III
• PCPA 523 Clinical Skills I
• PCPA 526 Clinical Skills II
• PCPA 529 Clinical Skills III
• PCPA 530 Basic Medical Sciences
• PCPA 532 Clinical Skills IV
• PCPA 543 Topics in Medicine I
• PCPA 546 Topics in Medicine II
• PCPA 549 Topics in Medicine III
• PCPA 561 Clinical Assignment I
• PCPA 562 Clinical Assignment II
• PCPA 563 Clinical Assignment III
• PCPA 564a Clinical Assignment IV
• PCPA 564b Clinical Assignment IV
• PCPA 565a Clinical Assignment V
• PCPA 565b Clinical Assignment V
• PCPA 566 Clinical Assignment VI
• PCPA 567 Clinical Assignment VII
• PCPA 568 Clinical Assignment VIII
• PCPA 583 Advanced Topics in PA Studies: Education
• PCPA 586 Advanced Topics in PA Studies: Research
• PCPA 589 Advanced Topics in PA Studies: Medical Care Organization