Physician Assistant Program Student Spotlights
Vicki Lin, Future Class of 2027
Vicki Lin
Vicki Lin, a second-year PA student, recently won the PA History Society’s I Spy Contest during PA Week, where participants had to find a specific number of PA-themed images in a provided photo. This year’s contest attracted an impressive 536 participants, making Vicki’s win even more notable. Her recognition not only highlights her keen observation skills but also celebrates her engagement with the PA community, reflecting her commitment to the profession as she continues her studies.
Alyea Wood
Alyea Wood
The Arcadia Physician Assistant Program is thrilled to announce that Alyea Wood, a dedicated current clinical year PA student at Arcadia University, has been awarded the Nathaniel Alston Student Achievement Scholarship Award by the Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants (PSPA). This prestigious recognition underscores Alyea’s exceptional commitment to the PA profession and her impactful community service experiences, particularly during her transformative trip to Peru, where she provided medical care to local residents. Her essay beautifully captured the essence of her journey and the pride she feels in pursuing a career that prioritizes patient-centered care. Alyea’s enthusiasm and dedication not only reflect the values we cherish at Arcadia but also inspire her peers. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and excited to see the positive impact she will continue to make in the healthcare field.
PA Olympics
The PA Olympics has become a renowned cross-cultural event for PA students, faculty, alumni, and guests of Greater Philadelphia Physician Assistant Programs. The event affords participants to come together and work collectively in service to raise awareness of a community-based organization.
PA Olympics was started in 2003 by Michael Huber, MMS, PA-C, DFAAPA. Each year, PA programs in the Greater Philadelphia region go head-to-head to raise money for a selected local charity organization in the Delaware Valley region. This year marks the inaugural partnership with Special Olympics as its continual recipient of the event. This event aims to unite the leadership and service engagement talents of PA faculty and students from local PA programs to raise funds for Special Olympics.
PA Olympics celebrated its 23rd year this April. The Special Olympics’ mission is to use sports to help people with intellectual disabilities develop physical fitness, confidence, and joy. The organization also aims to create more inclusive communities. The Special Olympics offers more than 30 Olympic-style sports for athletes ages 2 to 99. The organization’s approach is to deliver high-quality training and competition in an inclusive culture.
Fundraising is accomplished in only three short months each year (January-April). Each PA Program raises money by running individual charity events and participating in combined program fundraisers. The inaugural PA Olympic fundraising event consisted of only three PA programs (Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Drexel University, and Philadelphia University) and has now grown to ten participating programs and twelve university campuses. The ten PA programs participating this year are Arcadia University, Delaware Valley University, Drexel University, Drexel at Salus University, Saint Joseph’s University, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, East Falls, NJ and Thomas Jefferson Center City, and West Chester University.
Two combined program fundraising events were held this year. The first was with Special Olympics participating in their annual Polar Plunge at Citizen Bank Arena. The second was at Lucky Strike where students, faculty, and guests come together for a fun night of bowling, table games, gift baskets raffled off from each school, food, and drinks. Lucky Strike supports the event with a donation of 3 bowling parties to the top three winning teams of PA Olympics. The PA program that raised the most funds per student from their individual and combined fundraising efforts is awarded a trophy for their outstanding fundraising efforts.
The competition culminates each year in April with “The Great Race,” where each program competes in a race with entertaining challenges throughout the city of Philadelphia. Each participating PA program has teams consisting of 10 students per team. The teams then race through the streets of Philadelphia, by solving riddles and completing challenges at each landmark stop designed by each PA program. The team with the best overall time wins The Great Race. The race ends with a closing party generously supported by Moriarty’s Restaurant and Irish Pub.
This year, $30,172 was raised for Special Olympics. Since the PA Olympics’ inception in 2003, this annual event has donated over a quarter of a million dollars to local charities. More information on PA Olympics
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