Physician Assistant Program Student Spotlights
PA Olympics Celebrates 23 Years of Service and Community Impact
The PA Olympics is a longstanding cross-cultural tradition that brings together PA students, faculty, alumni, and guests from Greater Philadelphia Physician Assistant programs in a shared commitment to service. Founded in 2003 by Michael Hubber, MMS, PA-C, DFAAPA, the event was created to unite local PA programs in friendly competition while raising funds and awareness for community-based organizations throughout the Delaware Valley.
What began with just three programs — Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Drexel University, and Philadelphia University — has grown into a regional tradition now spanning ten PA programs across twelve campuses.
2026 Charity Partner: Special Olympics
This year marked the inaugural partnership naming Special Olympics as the event’s ongoing beneficiary. Now in its 23rd year, PA Olympics united PA faculty and students to raise funds in support of Special Olympics’ mission: using sports to empower individuals with intellectual disabilities to develop physical fitness, confidence, joy, and a sense of inclusion. The organization offers more than 30 Olympic-style sports for athletes ages 2 to 99 and is dedicated to fostering inclusive communities through high-quality training and competition.
Participating Programs
The ten PA programs participating this year included:
- Arcadia University
- Delaware Valley University
- Drexel University
- Drexel at Salus University
- Saint Joseph’s University
- Temple University
- Thomas Jefferson University – East Falls
- Thomas Jefferson University – Center City
- West Chester University
Three Months of Fundraising
Fundraising takes place over a focused three-month period from January through April. Each PA program organizes individual charity events while also participating in collaborative fundraisers.
This year’s combined events included:
- Participation in the annual Polar Plunge with Special Olympics at Citizens Bank Arena
A community bowling fundraiser at Lucky Strike, where students, faculty, alumni, and guests enjoyed bowling, table games, raffles, food, and drinks. Lucky Strike generously donated three bowling parties to the top three fundraising teams.
- The PA program that raises the highest amount per student across all fundraising efforts is awarded the PA Olympics Trophy in recognition of outstanding service and impact.
The Great Race
The competition culminates each April with “The Great Race,” a citywide challenge through Philadelphia. Each program fields teams of ten students who race through the city, solving riddles and completing challenges at landmark stops designed by participating programs. The team with the fastest overall time wins The Great Race.
Official PA Olympics T-shirts are provided for each participant and guest by Tee Vision, and the day concludes with a closing celebration generously supported by Moriarty’s Restaurant and Irish Pub.
A Lasting Impact
This year, PA Olympics raised $30,172 for Special Olympics. Since its founding in 2003, the event has donated over a quarter of a million dollars to local charities. More information on PA Olympics
