Mary L. Warner DBH, PA-C joins the University of Utah as professor and founding doctoral program director after most recently serving as the department chair at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), Department of PA Studies. At GW, Dr. Warner focused on re-building the PA program teachers and leaders, expanding the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medicine and Pre-PA Program, and serving as a member of the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center Executive Planning Committee. While at GW she was an active member of School and University committees including the SMHS Executive Committee, GW Leadership Forum and the GW Faculty Senate Finance Committee. She previously held PA education and leadership positions at University of Bridgeport, Quinnipiac College, Yale School of Medicine and Boston University. At Boston University, Dr. Warner served as the founding director of the institution’s PA program and as a clinical skills specialist and master teach within the school’s Office of Medical Education.
A prolific writer and educator, Warner has published and presented regionally and nationally on a wide array of issue in medical education, clinical and academic leadership, and PA workforce development. Warner served as the feature editor for the Journal of PA Education with the series “Lessons Learned,” which offers first person narratives to help guide PA educators as they navigate a myriad of issues from admissions to curriculum development, accreditation, and more.
As a principal investigator, she has led two federal training grants from the US Health Resources and Services Administration focused on the primary care workforce and workforce diversity. She currently studies the impact of continuing medical education on knowledge acquisition and adherence to FDA pain management guidelines as a research consultant for the NEJM Group. Further, she serves as a mentor to a primary care physicians who is implementing the Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care model.
Dr. Warner has served in a variety of influential roles within national PA organizations including the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the PA Education Association. At NCCPA, she served as a test item writer, the chair of the Research and Test Development Committee, director-at-large, and ultimately was elected to serve as chair of the board of directors. With the AAPA, she served on the Student Academy Board of Directors, the House of Delegates, Research Advisory Group and most recently as a member of the academy’s Awards Committee. She has held multiple positions within the PAEA, including chair of both the Research Mission Advancement Committee and Research Committee. She was a member of the PAEA Research Institute and co-designed surveys instrumental to the PAEA’s efforts to support its members during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also served as a site visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of Physician Assistants.
Warner completed her undergraduate studies at Seattle University. She graduated from the PA program and earned a master’s degree from Emory University. She continued her education at University of Arizona and in 2020 completed a Doctorate of Behavioral Health, Management Track where she studied the impact of Medicaid expansion on access to opioid use disorder treatment.
Research Statement
While her leadership in the development and assessment of PA curricula has been a major focus of Dr. Warner's career, she studies the impact of continuing medical education on clinician guideline adoption. She is involved in a project to implement an integrated primary care and behavioral health model as a solution to reducing stigma, improve physical health, and expand access to mental health care in underserved areas. PA workforce development remains a strong interest as her research agenda has focused on PA practice patterns, factors that influence primary care practice among PA students, and policy levers to address the substance use disorder epidemic.
