CDU’s 55-Year Legacy of Training Physician Assistants Continues With New Class
Twenty six students at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) have begun their journey into the Physician Assistant (PA) profession, joining a field created more than 60 years ago to help address a shortage of primary care physicians.
Today, PAs remain an integral part of the healthcare workforce through providing expanded access to care across a range of medical settings. The newest members of the profession enter at a time when California and communities across the country continue to face shortages of healthcare providers.
CDU’s PA Class of 2028 was selected from more than 3,000 applicants competing for just 26 seats, making admission to the program highly competitive, with fewer than 1% of applicants admitted to the program. They join a program with a 55-year history of preparing PAs to serve communities that have historically faced barriers to healthcare. Established in 1971, CDU’s PA program was the first in the State of California and among the earliest programs in the nation.
The incoming cohort reflects CDU’s mission in action, with 75% percent of students originating from communities across California and the nation that are underrepresented in medicine. The class also includes first-generation college students as well as students who are first- or second-generation immigrants from countries including Mexico, Jamaica, Iran, Afghanistan, Uganda, Kenya, India, and others.
“Like me, many of you are first in your families to go to college. Like me, many of you or your families are immigrants. Some of you, like me, speak English as a second language,” said Dr. Lucy Kibe, PA Program Director, during the Short White Coat Ceremony held August 14 for the new cohort. “So, for me, training you to become successful PAs is not just a job. It is a personal passion.”
That passion, Kibe noted, is shared by CDU’s faculty and staff, who prepare students to provide excellent medical care with compassion, address health disparities, and advocate for social justice.
For students in the Class of 2028, becoming a PA means increasing representation in the field and bringing their experiences back to the communities that have influenced their journeys.
“My white coat represents every sacrifice, struggle, and barrier I have overcome to get to this moment,” said Amanda Nicole Gutierrez. “As a proud Latina, this coat means that I’m contributing to diversity in healthcare and helping to create a future where people who look like me can see themselves represented in medicine.”
“My white coat represents the opportunities that pursuing higher education has created for me in my life,” said Jenzie Tamayo. “It also symbolizes my growth beyond the barriers that I grew up with and my commitment to return with the compassion and knowledge to serve and uplift the same community that shaped me.”
That commitment comes as representation remains a challenge in the profession. Fewer than 8% of PAs identify as Hispanic and fewer than 4% identify as Black or African American, while nearly 79% of certified PAs identify as White, according to the National Commission on Certification of PAs.
CDU is working to expand access to the profession and, in 2021, launched the award-winning EDGE-PA program, which has helped aspiring physician assistants secure hundreds of interviews and numerous acceptances to PA programs across the country.
The potential impact of the Class of 2028 extends beyond the students themselves. Dr. David Martins, Associate Professor and PA Program Medical Director, challenges them to consider their impact once they are licensed.
“A PA sees about 3,000 patients a year. There are 26 of you, so in another 27 months, you represent an additional capacity to care for 78,000 patients in places where people don’t have access,” said Dr. Martins. “That is why it is extremely important to us that you chose us as we chose you.”
The expansion of capacity is particularly important for patients with limited care options.
“We are CDU. We are the hope of the underserved and the underrepresented,” shared Dr. Martins. “Your patients don’t have a lot of options, and you have to be that last person for them. That requires you to be ready to go above and beyond.”
More than five decades after CDU established California’s first PA program, the Class of 2028 represents the continuation of a legacy shaped around a persistent need: healthcare professionals who can expand access to care while bringing a deeper understanding of the communities they serve.