News

Andre Dos Santos, DMS, MPAP, PA-C, assistant professor and lead clinical coordinator in the Physician Assistant (PA) program at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU), has been accepted into the 2025–2026 Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in the Health Professions, one of the most competitive faculty development programs for health professions educators around the world.

Participants are selected from a diverse pool of clinicians and educators across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, and are chosen for their leadership potential and commitment to innovation in health professions education.

“I’m honored to be selected for a program that has contributed to the development of educational leaders globally,” said Dos Santos. “I look forward to applying what I learn to enhance our curriculum and better support our students’ learning outcomes.”

The yearlong program includes a project-based curriculum and focuses on educational theory, leadership, curriculum development, innovation, and reflective practice. Participants engage in a five-day virtual session in the fall, monthly virtual continuity sessions throughout the academic year, and a final five-day, in-person capstone experience at Harvard Medical School.

Dos Santos’s proposed project centers on making PA education more inclusive—specifically tailoring curriculum and support structures to better serve students from underserved communities, English language learners, and students with learning disabilities.

As a Brazilian immigrant and first-generation college graduate, Dos Santos brings deeply personal insight into the challenges many CDU students face. His journey to CDU is as unconventional as it is inspiring.

“I came from the favelas in Brazil. None of my friends went to college. I moved to another country, started from zero, learned the language, became a professional fighter, did stunt work in Hollywood, opened a gym, and later became a PA. I earned my doctorate, and now I’m heading to Harvard,” Dos Santos said. “I tell my students, ‘if I can do it, so can you.’”

Dos Santos credits his background as an athlete for the relentless mindset that has fueled his academic and professional achievements.

“Being an athlete gave me the mentality to do whatever’s necessary,” he explained. “If no one’s training at 3 a.m., I’m training at 3 a.m. I brought that same work ethic to PA school. I knew I was already a step behind, so I studied weekends, holidays, nights. I would show up at school at 5 a.m. to get a head start. I always gave more, because I knew that’s what it would take.”

He now hopes to instill that same sense of discipline, possibility, and resilience in his students.

“I tell them: If you put your mind to something and you work hard, it will happen,” he said. “Don’t make a plan B. If you don’t have a plan B, you’ll make sure plan A works—and that’s how I’ve lived my life.”