Marshall University Physician Assistant Program

08/18/2026

08/06/2026

With the summer semester winding down, the students and faculty are still active in and out of the classroom.

Aaron Bailey led the Wilderness Medicine Special Interest Group (GROWMED) members on a hike.

Last week, students learned about lumbar punctures, cultures, and Gram stains before heading into the lab for hands-on practice. They performed lumbar punctures on simulation models and had the opportunity to examine real gram-stained specimens under the microscope. 🔬

And to top it all off, the Marshall Athletic Training Program and PA Program joined forces for their annual interprofessional event, because together, we can achieve greatness!

This week, the focus shifted to wound closure and suturing techniques. Students practiced a variety of skills, including:
🧵 Simple interrupted sutures
🧵 Running sutures
🧵 Subcuticular closures
🩹 Staples
🩹 Skin adhesives

Now, they’re heading into finals and preparing to close out the semester! 📚

Next semester brings an entirely new set of clinical skills and procedures, including ECG interpretation, cardiac, lung, renal, and DVT point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), intubation, advanced laboratory concepts, and women’s health procedures such as IUD placement, vaginal delivery, and prenatal POCUS.

We’re excited to watch our students continue building the knowledge, confidence, and hands-on skills they’ll carry with them into clinical practice.

07/24/2026

Marshall University PA Program Assistant Professors Kate Lee, PA-C, and Aaron Bailey, PA-C, faculty advisors for GROWMED (MUPA's global, rural and wilderness medicine student interest group), attended the Wilderness Medical Society 2026 Summer Conference in Asheville, North Carolina.

The conference brought together wilderness medicine professionals for hands-on workshops and educational sessions focused on caring for patients in remote and resource-limited environments. Topics included wildfire medical support, swiftwater rescue, search and rescue in Southern Appalachia, diving medicine, environmental illness, wilderness airway management, disaster medical kits, and special populations in wilderness settings.

Kate participated in “Lifeline in the Flames: Wildfire Medical Support,” a practical workshop covering medical incident reporting, communication, evacuation planning, resource coordination, and patient care during wildland fire operations. Aaron attended the Technical Rescue Rope Systems, Raises and Mechanical Advantage workshop, gaining hands-on experience with rope-based rescue systems used in challenging environments.

Through experiences like these, Kate and Aaron continue working toward completion of their Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) while bringing current, practical wilderness and disaster medicine concepts back to the classroom and expanding student opportunities through GROWMED.

07/20/2026

The Marshall University PA Program recently participated in the Facing Hunger Foodbank event, where PA students (led by Principal Faculty Dr. Holly Knuckles) worked alongside volunteers to help provide over 13,000 meals for community members experiencing food insecurity.

As future Physician Assistants, service extends beyond the clinic. Compassion, advocacy, teamwork, and a commitment to improving the health of our communities are at the heart of our profession. Opportunities like this remind us that promoting health also means helping meet basic needs, including access to nutritious food.

We're grateful for the chance to serve our community and live out the values that guide us as PAs.

07/20/2026

We’re proud to recognize the outstanding faculty members who have been promoted for their dedication to education, research, clinical excellence and advancing the future of medicine. 👏

Join us in congratulating the following faculty members on their well-deserved promotions:

• Farzad Amiri, MD | Professor, Surgery

• Meredith Bentley, DO | Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine

• Alip Borthakur, PhD | Associate Professor & Tenure, Biomedical Sciences

• Lydia Bogomolnaya, PhD | Associate Professor & Tenure, Biomedical Sciences

• Jessica Buerck, MD | Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology

• Jenalee Corsello, MD, MPH | Associate Professor, Surgery

• Price Dickson, PhD | Associate Professor & Tenure, Biomedical Sciences

• Beth Emrick, MD | Professor, Pediatrics

• Wesam Frandah, MD | Professor, Internal Medicine

• Jordan Gaal, DO | Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine

• Jared Hollinger, MD | Associate Professor, Neurology

• Janice Hostetter, DO | Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine

• Wei Li, MD, PhD | Professor, Biomedical Sciences

Ahmad Mahdi, MD | Associate Professor, Internal Medicine

• Sebastian Proano, MD | Associate Professor, Pediatrics

• Amy Roy, MD | Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology

• Elizabeth Saunders, MD | Professor, Internal Medicine

• Ahmed Sherif, MD | Professor, Internal Medicine

• Ben Spurlock, MS, PA-C | Associate Professor, Surgery

• Kasey Stickler, MD | Associate Professor, Family & Community Health

• Vishal Verma, MD | Associate Professor, Ophthalmology

• Courtney Wellman, MD | Associate Professor, Family & Community Health

Congratulations to all of our newly promoted faculty members! 💚

07/12/2026

The Class of 2028 went out and broke-a-leg studying all things Orthopedics! Each year, local orthopedic PAs Travis Randolph and Elijah Drummond (a graduate of the Class of 2023) come by for a two-day ortho workshop we've lovingly deemed "Bone Bonanza" where students get hands-on experience with splinting, casting, and assessment. (Disclaimer: No PA-students were harmed in the making of those casts).

06/25/2026

From Classroom to Clinical Practice: First High-Fidelity Trauma Simulation

This week, our PA students took an exciting step forward in their clinical training as they participated in their first high-fidelity trauma simulation thanks to our connection with our local VAMC.

After being introduced to the concepts of the primary and secondary trauma survey, students applied their knowledge in a realistic, hands-on trauma scenario. During recent laboratory sessions, they practiced essential trauma management skills including:

🔹 Maintaining manual cervical spine stabilization (C-spine)
🔹 Applying cervical collars (C-collars)
🔹 Performing safe log-roll techniques
🔹 Conducting systematic trauma assessments
🔹 Working as a coordinated healthcare team in a fast-paced environment

In addition to simulation training, students also became Stop the Bleed® certified, learning life-saving hemorrhage control techniques such as:

🩸 Tourniquet application
🩸 Direct pressure and wound packing
🩸 Recognition and management of life-threatening bleeding

Eligible students also signed up as stop the bleed instructors for the community.

High-fidelity simulation provides a safe learning environment where students can develop clinical reasoning, communication, teamwork, and procedural skills before encountering these situations in patient care. Watching students transition from learning these concepts in the classroom to applying them in a realistic trauma scenario is one of the most rewarding aspects of medical education.

We are proud of their hard work, professionalism, and willingness to step outside their comfort zones as they continue building the skills necessary to care for patients during some of their most critical moments.

06/24/2026

Join the MUPA Program in celebrating the Class of 2028 White Coat Ceremony Friday, June 26th @ 6pm. The event will take place at the Joan C Edwards Playhouse with a brief reception taking placed in the Marshall University Student Center immediately following the ceremony.

This event will be streamed live at www.marshall.edu/livestream and on our social media.