Officials with the state health association singled out Miami’s fast-growing program, which was started in May 2023, as the first Rural Health Champion Quarterly Award winner among all other similar Ohio college programs, according to a statement from Miami officials.
“We are thrilled to recognize Miami University Physician Associate Studies Program as our quarterly Rural Health Champion,” said Rosanna Scott, ORHA’s executive director.
“Their unwavering commitment to improving access to quality healthcare in Ohio’s rural communities, coupled with their innovative research and training programs, truly embodies the spirit of what the Ohio Rural Health Association stands for. Their efforts today will help shape healthier, more resilient rural communities for generations to come,” said Scott.
The dearth of local medical care for Ohio’s rural residents has been a long-standing problem for decades and prompted Miami officials to address it directly through the creation of its Physicians Associate (PA) studies program.
Lectures and discussions in Miami’s PA program focus on the challenges of rural medicine and the unique spectrum of medical problems, along with addressing needs with stewardship and responsibility in serving these patients, said Miami officials.
Christopher Howell, the PA program director and associate professor of Biomedical Science, said the curriculum is geared toward serving rural families, not just from a medical standpoint but also regarding socioeconomic conditions and partnerships with rural advocates.
“We definitely put that at the heart of our program,” Howell said. “Unless you focus on rural communities with intention, they will be forgotten.
“We are recruiting students from the heart of these communities who have the desire to go back and serve these families.”
Miami’s PA program now has 25 clinical students, who rotate through various clinical disciplines, and 36 didactic students.
The clinical portion of the program has adopted a rotation model similar to the rural family medicine residency program for physicians. The program will graduate its first class in 2025, said school officials.
“We are very honored to receive this award,” Howell said. “I can’t say enough about how invaluable the ORHA’s work is to the underserved rural communities and patients and how important it is for our students to be aware of such resources.”
“It is humbling to think we are making a difference and to have such a great partnership with an important organization.”
More information on the Physicians Associate Studies Program is available on its Miami website.
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