Mission and History

The Physician Assistant Program joined the School of Health Professions in 1990. In keeping with the mission of the School of Health Professions, the mission of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center Physician Assistant Program is to cultivate the development of professionally, competent and culturally diverse Physician Assistants to provide compassionate healthcare for an evolving urban population.

Our vision is "To be a leader in educating Physician Assistants who are also equipped with a keen appreciation of the social determinants of health, common to America's urban population."
Professional role development of Physician Assistants requires an awareness of the impact of medical research and evidence in clinical practice, in addition to the value of life-long learning. Similarly PA's must be aware of evolving issues in health care and PA practice on the local, state, national, and international levels. Educational experiences are designed to facilitate student's understanding of clinical research, health care policy, and PA professional issues.

The Physician Assistant faculty believes that tolerance and cultural sensitivity are very vital attributes needed by health care professionals practicing in a vibrant and richly diverse urban environment such as New York City. To help develop the above critical skills, College-wide activities are arranged to discuss issues relating to cross cultural and ethical issues in-patient care. At the program level, issues relating to cultural diversity and ethics are integrated throughout the didactic phase, community service and mentorship experiences as well as the clinical phases of the curriculum.

Meeting Its Mission

The SUNY Downstate PA Program is committed to educating highly qualified and diverse Physician Assistants, interested in meeting the health care needs of the ever changing population of New York City, New York State and the US. The PA faculty all come from different clinical practice experience backgrounds and have many years of instructional experience in PA education. Similarly, from the instructional to their clinical year, our students benefit from the rich experiential background of Physicians in the various divisions of medicine and surgery at our academic medical center and affiliated clinical locations.

The Program offers a stimulating curriculum, utilizing innovative instructional methods designed to meet every students' need. Students enjoy rich clinical experiences in varied urban clinical settings. The program is recognized for its academic and clinical excellence and education of about 700 plus Physician Assistant graduates of diverse backgrounds, who are practicing in a variety of medical disciplines and settings in Brooklyn as well as throughout New York City, New York State and the nation.