ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø

CHP students working with a faculty member in a clinical setting.
Welcome from the Chair

History of the PA Program

ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø is a private university in the New York metropolitan area with a growing national reputation for offering students opportunity, teaching, and learning based on research, civic involvement, an international perspective, and measurable outcomes. Lenox Hill Hospital is a 652-bed acute care teaching hospital in Manhattan that offers the New York community a full range of healthcare services, from state-of-the-art cardiovascular and orthopedic services, to maternal and child health programs, to primary and preventive care. The ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø-Lenox Hill Hospital Physician Assistant program is a rigorous master of science program that fully integrates the educational components of the two institutions. Students integrate courses in basic science, clinical medicine, behavioral medicine, and pharmacology to provide a comprehensive approach to patient care. During the clinical year, students rotate through various clinical clerkships, which provide five-week rotations in a variety of clinical settings and specialties involving a diversity of patient care experiences. After completion of all requirements, a combined master of science degree from ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø and a certificate of completion from Lenox Hill Hospital is awarded.

The program’s inception in 1995 was a unique arrangement between Lenox Hill Hospital, an employer of 70 PAs, and ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø’s Department of Biological Sciences, which had a strong Allied Health component. Lenox Hill Hospital now employs approximately 165 PAs – more than double the number from 1995.

Key dates in our program’s history:

  • On December 31, 1996, the New York State Education Department registered the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø-Lenox Hill Hospital Physician Assistant Program.
  • In 2000, the program was awarded accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
  • In 2008, with approval of the State Education Department, the Program was converted to a Master of Science Degree Program, awarding the MS in Physician Assistant Studies to its graduates.
  • In 2010, the PA Program relocated from ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø’s Department of Biological Sciences into the College of Health Professions.

.