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 A10, Ste. N10100
Alhambra, CA 91803
(626) 457-4240
FAX: (626) 457-4245
Email: uscpa@usc.edu
usc.edu/pa

Program Director: Mitzi D’Aquila, MACM, PA-C

Medical Director: Katherine Gibson, MD

Faculty

Clincial Associate Professor of Family Medicine: A. Vallejo, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professors of Family Medicine: M. D’Aquila, MACM, PA-C; C. Feldman, MMS, PA-C; L. Hudson, MSPA, PA-C, MPH; M. Maldonado, MPH, MPAP, PA-C; D. Mayo, MPAS, PA; N. Novelo, DMSc, PA-C; C. Powell, DMSc, PA-C; J. Tramel, MS-HPE, PA-C Emeritus

Clinical Instructors of Family Medicine: J. Barron, MSPA, PA-C; G. Benitez, DMSc, PA-C; L. Hagstrom, PA-C, MPH; A. Villapudua, BA

The Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC is dedicated to the advancement of physician assistant education and emphasizes service to the medically underserved. The program is committed to preparing students from diverse backgrounds to positively transform the healthcare system. Students, graduates, faculty and staff are committed to doing this through collaboration, inclusivity, innovation, integrity, excellence and joy. Students earn a Master of Physician Assistant Practice (MPAP) degree upon completion of the program.

The program is a full-time educational and professional training program. Students are required to participate in all scheduled program activities, as well as comply with all program policies, including requirements of professional behavior. Instructors include PA, NP, MD, DO, PhD, MSW, OT, RN and PharmD. While most classes are held during the day, there are some curricular activities in the evening. Currently, course work is given in a hybrid setting with virtual and in classroom instruction, both in real-time and asynchronously. Clinical assignments/rotations include both day and evening shifts, weekends and some on-call schedules. Written examinations and performance evaluations are scheduled regularly throughout the duration of the program. Students must pass each component of the curriculum in order to make satisfactory academic progress in the program. Student learning services is an accessable resource for all students. Students must meet all health requirements and maintain current health records.

General areas of study include basic sciences (anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, genetics, pharmacology); cross-cultural critical thinking; health behavior; clinical skills including patient interviewing, history-taking, written documentation, all components of physical assessment; laboratory and radiological principles; nutrition; principles of primary care, including prevention and patient education; medical Spanish; interpretation of medical literature; professional development; and specialty seminars in research, education and medical care organizations. Additionally, students participate in clinical training in the areas of family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, surgery, orthopedics, internal medicine, behavioral and mental health, emergency medicine, and one primary care selective, which includes family medicine, street medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral and mental health, or out-patient internal medicine. The curriculum consists of 33 months of didactic and clinical training. The educational process consists of a total of four semesters of didactic instruction and 54 full-time equivalent weeks of on-site clinical education.

Clinical education takes place at multiple clinical sites throughout the greater Los Angeles region, including the Los Angeles General Medical Center, Keck Medicine of USC Medical Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, a range of private offices, and managed care settings, community-based clinics, VA facilities, and specialty settings. Clinical training sites and clinical preceptors are established and maintained by the PA program. The program assigns students to the appropriate clinical rotations and exercises the right to assign students within a 60-mile radius of the Health Sciences Alhambra Campus.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the USC Physician Assistant (PA) Program, sponsored by USC. 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 June 2029. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at arc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Accreditation-History-U-of-Southern-Cal-153.pdf.

For more information on the Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC, please call (626) 457-4240 or email uscpa@usc.edu.

Programs

Physician Assistant Practice (MPAP)

Courses

Primary Care Physician Assistant