Faculty

The PA Program is home to many highly accomplished faculty and staff who develop, implement and assess our curricula. As evidence of the program's teaching expertise, 55% of the principal faculty hold Master Teacher Leadership Development Certification. Many faculty serve regional and national organizations as leaders in organizations such as:

  • Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), (previous President of the Board, 2 current Committee Chairs)
  • National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), (previous Board Chair and current Board member)
  • Post Baccalaureate Centralized Application Service, (past Co-Chair)
  • Accreditation Review Commission on Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), (previous site visitor and current site visitor)
  • and peer reviewers for multiple medical and education journals (9 journals)

To view a faculty member's full profile, click their underlined name.

John Gillum

John Gillum, DSc., PA-C

Program Director, PA Program
Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Marianne Vail

Marianne Vail, PhD, PA-C

Associate Program Director, PA Program
Assistant Professor
email

Brandon Beattie

Brandon Beattie, MMSc, PA-C

Director of Didactic Education, PA Program
Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Nicole Curry

Nicole Curry MCMS, MJ, PA-C

Visiting Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Jennifer Grover, DHSC, MMS, PA-C

Jennifer Grover, DHSC, MMS, PA-C

Director of Assessment, PA Program

Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Aaron Henry

Aaron Henry, MSHS, PA-C

Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies
email

Debra Herrmann

Debra Herrmann, DHSc., MPH, PA-C

Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence
Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Malwina Huzarska

Malwina Huzarska, MS, MMS, PA-C

Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Susannah Jenkins

Susannah Jenkins, MPA, PA-C

Director of the Clinical Education, PA Studies
Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson, MPAS, PA-C

Assistant Professor, PA Studies 
email

Susan LeLacheur

Susan LeLacheur, DrPH, PA-C

Director of Equity, Department of PA Studies
Professor, PA Studies
email

Elizabeth Prevou

Elizabeth Prevou, DMSc, MPH, MSHS, PA-C

Assistant Professor, PA Studies
Advisor to the Tolton Student Society
email

Tamara Ritsema

Tamara Ritsema, PhD, MPH, PA-C

Director of Professional Practice, PA Program
Associate Professor, PA Studies
email

Howard Straker

Howard Straker, EdD, PA-C

Director, Physician Assistant/MPH Program
Associate Professor, PA Studies
email

Sawali Sudarshan

Sawali Sudarshan MD, PhD

Director, Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medicine Program
Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Mary Warner

Mary Warner, DBH, PA-C

Chair, Department of Physician Assistant (PA) Studies
Associate Professor, PA Studies
email

Karen Wright

Karen A. Wright, PhD, PA-C

Assistant Professor, PA Studies
email

Secondary Appointment Faculty

James Gehring

James Gehring, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies (Secondary)
Medical Director, Physician Assistant Program
email

Ryan Strauss

Ryan Strauss, MPH, MSHS, PA-C

Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine
Associate Clinical Professor of Physician Assistant Studies (Secondary)
email