��Ƶ-Meridian seats sixth Physician Assistant Studies cohort

Students from ��Ƶ-Meridian's sixth Master of Physician Assistant Studies cohort tour of downtown Meridian as part of their Jan. 8 orientation. The tour, given by Matt Schanrock of the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, included stops of popular restaurants and boutiques, along with a visit to the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience, fondly known as The MAX. (Photo by Marianne Todd)

MERIDIAN, Miss.—��Ƶ-Meridian’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies program seated its sixth cohort last month, a continued contribution in expanding the state’s healthcare workforce.

The 31 students join 51 contemporaries currently enrolled in Mississippi’s sole public PA program, based at the ��Ƶ-Meridian Riley Campus in downtown Meridian.

From left: Presley Gautier of Ocean Springs, Ally Berninato of Slidell, Louisiana, Maybri Eldridge of Meridian and Brittany Odom of Hattiesburg interact with the state-of-the art Anatomage tables they will be using as ��Ƶ-Meridian’s newest cohort of Master of Physician Assistant Studies students. (Photo by Marianne Todd)

Department Chair Pamela Vayda, who graduated from the program in 2023 and was named program director this past December, said the cohort is comprised of students from Mississippi and others who hail from Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Missouri.

The students collectively boast a 3.58 GPA and were chosen from an applicant pool of 225. They already hold a variety of undergraduate degrees—ranging from biology to kinesiology and even business—they’ve used in shaping patient-centered career paths.

“They already have several years of experience in the healthcare industry post bachelor’s degree,” Vayda said. “We require numerous patient care hours as a prerequisite to apply. They’ve seen hospitals and they’ve seen clinics, so they know the expectations.”

Vayda said in the selection process educators interviewed 94 applicants. Of those chosen, 12 are from Mississippi and seven are ��Ƶ graduates.

The program has graduated 63 students since 2023, all of whom completed 10 five-week clinical rotation blocks in hospital and clinic settings. The third cohort, currently in clinicals, is expected to graduate this May, and many of these students already have job offers, Vayda said.

Training prepares these students to fill critical gaps in pediatrics, internal medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, behavioral health and women’s health.

Twelve years ago, the state had just more than 150 physician assistant providers. Today, there are more than 400 drawing annual salaries of up to $180,000.

For more information about ��Ƶ-Meridian’s PA program, visit .

��Ƶ is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.

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