Welcome to the Division of Physician Assistant Education and Science. I am honored to serve as the Division Chief for a group of nationally recognized faculty, staff, and students. We are proud of our nationally recognized and highly ranked PA program, celebrating 50-plus years of training primary care-focused Physician Assistants.
I hope this site provides you with valuable information about our educational, clinical, and research endeavors. The Physician Assistant Division was established in 2010 and our mission is to promote accessible, fair, high-quality patient-centered health care through innovative and requisite education, clinical care, leadership, scholarship, health policy, advocacy, and global community partner engagement.
In 2015, the PA division partnered with South Main Clinic to serve as a comprehensive medical home for under-resourced families in Salt Lake. South Main Clinic provides inter-professional medical and dental care for the community while also providing clinical training for our PA students.
With over ten years of focus on serving the unique communities and individuals from all backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives, we have built a faculty, staff and student body from all backgrounds and life experiences and developed curriculum, research, and community engagement to continue this work. Through our many partnerships, we are engaged in developing and working to meet global health needs through collaboration, education, clinical care, and research.
The mission of the University of Utah is to foster student success by preparing students from all backgrounds for lives of impact as leaders and citizens. We promote a climate of respect and shared responsibility that cultivates and sustains transformative practices by forging spaces of possibility where people feel safe, valued, welcomed, and respected. These ideals are intrinsic to collaborative partnerships and our university’s mission "to serve the people of Utah and the world.”
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our division and the exciting things happening here at the University of Utah School of Medicine, the Division of Physician Assistant Education and Science of Family, and the PA Program.
Sincerely,
Leigh Elrod, PA-C, MPAS, DPAS