AAPA-PAEA Research Fellowship

The AAPA-PAEA Research Fellowship is a collaborative PA education and workforce research capacity building program. The goals of the Fellowship are three-fold: develop a cadre of PAs skilled in PA education and workforce research, encourage utilization of PAEA and AAPA data to generate research of interest to the PA profession and community of PA scholars, and provide future research mentors for newer faculty to sustain the PA workforce and education research pipeline.

The application cycle for the 2024-2025 Fellowship year is now closed. It will resume in April 2025. Learn more about eligibility, applicant evaluation criteria, and application requirements here!

Overview

The AAPA-PAEA Research Fellowship seeks to build the research capacity of PAs and PA faculty and develop leaders to represent, advance, and elevate PAs in health professions research.

The Fellowship seeks to:

Fund-protected time to allow fellows to conduct research and expand their research agendas.
Broaden the fellows’ knowledge of the medical research community and data sources and build their professional networks with prominent medical research organizations.
Build a strong cohort of research leaders who mentor future PA researchers and become PA research experts who advance the profession.

For more information about eligibility, applicant evaluation criteria, and application requirements, please download the 2024-2025 AAPA-PAEA Research Fellowship Submission Guidelines.

If you would like to read about the experiences of Bettie Coplan, PhD, MPAS, PA-C during her Fellowship application and read her tips, she was featured in a PAEA article.

If you have questions about the process or the Fellowship itself, we are happy to help! Just send us an email and allow 2 business days for us to respond.

Description of the Fellowship

PAEA and the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), offer up to three one-year research fellowships annually. PAs must be involved in research if the profession is to demonstrate their role in the healthcare environment. In addition, PA faculty face the pressure to publish original research, while educating students and practicing clinically. This program provides a substantial investment to strengthen the research skills and productivity of qualified PAs to conduct high-quality, publishable research.

The Fellowship will provide PAs with

Funding for protected time to allow Fellows to conduct research and expand their research agendas;
Broaden Fellows’ knowledge of the medical research community, data sources, and build their professional networks with prominent medical research organizations; and
Developmental support to join a strong cohort of research leaders who mentor future PA researchers and become PA research experts who advance the profession.

The AAPA-PAEA Research Fellowship provides financial support for PAs with a strong interest in research about the PA profession and PA education. A grant covering 20 percent of the recipient’s base salary up to $30,000 will be allocated to the fellow’s institution to permit a 20 percent time release from teaching and other activities to allow them to focus on scholarly activities of interest to the PA profession and PA education. There is no allowance for institutional indirect costs.

The Fellowship will include a two-to-four-day seminar at the PAEA offices in Washington, DC, or at the AAPA offices in Alexandria, Virginia. Fellows will participate in exclusive Fellowship sessions and earn more than 25 hours of CME. Travel expenses for fellowship events will be covered in full, however, the COVID-19 pandemic may alter these plans and require virtual components.

Fellows are expected to use the release time to develop their research skills by completing and providing to AAPA and PAEA a research project under the guidance of a mentor, engaging in educational activities, and broadening their knowledge of PA education and the PA profession. By the conclusion of the Fellowship, fellows should have completed their research and have their findings prepared for publication and presentation.

Work Requirements for Fellows

The fellowship will run from November 1 through October 31 for each Fellowship year.

Commitment to scholarly activity for the equivalent of one day per week (.2 FTE)
Completion of a research project including publication in or submission to a peer-reviewed journal or other project approved by PAEA and AAPA within one year of fellowship completion
Interim reports providing updates on project progress and obstacles due to the funder at six and 12 months of the fellowship
Attendance at the PAEA Education Forum (kick off), AAPA Conference, and PAEA Education Forum (closing presentation)
Attendance at webinar seminars
Attendance at regular check-in meetings with the funder regarding project progress
One to two in-person meetings in the Washington, DC, area

Upcoming and Past Fellowship Events

Upcoming Fellowship Events

2024 Summer Seminar Series

Thank you to the PAs, Fellows and guests who attended the Research Fellowship Summer Seminar Series at the AAPA headquarters in Alexandria, VA from July 15-18. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future.

Past Events

2023 AAPA-PAEA Research Seminar Series

Thank you to the PAs, Fellows and guests who attended the Research Fellowship Summer Seminar Series at the PAEA headquarters in DC from June 12-14. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future.

2022 Summer Seminar Series

AAPA and PAEA are inviting all PAs and PA students to participate in the 2022 AAPA-PAEA Research Seminar Series. Join the AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows each month to learn about resources that strengthen your research and improve your knowledge about the communities you work in. Topics include learning about secondary data, grant writing, publications, and more! Webinar sessions are free and include up to 15.5 CME credits. Learn more about the sessions today!

Learn to Leverage CASPA Data to Advance Your PA Program and PA Research

Friday, September 24, 2021, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm EST

PAEAs Research and Admissions Teams will delve into the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). This webinar will discuss the history of CASPA, its benefits to PA school applicants and PA programs, as well as highlight the utility of the data and its limitations in terms of PA programs and researchers.

2021 Summer Seminar Series

Thank you to the PAs, Fellows and guests who attended the Research Fellowship Summer Seminar Series. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future.

Important Dates for 2023-2024

Applications close – June 4, 2023
Hold interviews – June 26-June 30, 2023
Send offer letters – week of July 10, 2023
PAEA 2023– October 11-14, 2023 (New Orleans, LA)
Winter Seminars Series – January 2024 (TBD)
AAPA 2024 – May 18-22, 2024 (Houston, TX)
Summer Seminar Series – June 2024 (Washington, DC)
PAEA 2024 – Late October 2024 (TBD)

Meet the Research Fellows

Meet the 2023-2024 Fellows

Congratulations to Hayden Middleton, DMSc, PA-C, Marcia Bouton, DMSc, MHPE, PA-C, and Quincy Jones MSW, LCSW, MHS, PA-C on their acceptance into the 2023-2024 AAPA-PAEA Research Fellowship. Learn more about the fellows and their research topics.

Hayden Middleton, DMSc, PA-C

Hayden Middleton, DMSc, PA-C, is a primary care provider, clinical researcher, and instructor of family medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He earned a neurobiology degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science in PA Studies from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He most recently completed his Doctor of Medical Science degree at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, and as a part of his doctoral studies, he completed a research study focused on dermoscopy education amongst PA students.

As a 2023-2024 AAPA-PAEA research fellow, Dr. Middleton is investigating the utilization of dermoscopy amongst practicing PAs and aims to understand current dermoscopy education, associated barriers, and other factors that influence the use of this diagnostic tool in our profession. Through his research, he hopes that this study will be used to help guide future education of both PAs and PA students in dermoscopy and serve as the first step in determining how dermoscopy can be more widely adopted in PA practice.

Marcia Bouton, DMSc, MHPE, PA-C

Dr. Marcia Bouton worked in clinical laboratory science prior to attending Midwestern University’s Physician Assistant Program where she completed a B.S. in Physician Assistant Studies and an M.H.P.E. in 2003. She practiced clinically in surgical oncology and breast surgery for 19 years. In 2022, Dr. Bouton earned her DMSc and joined the faculty of the Midwestern University Physician Assistant Program the same year.

Throughout Dr. Bouton’s career, she has been involved in research related to breast surgery and health professions education. More recently she has focused on topics related to the PA profession such as PA-led research, PA leadership, and equity within the profession. She is a journal reviewer for JAAPA and Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. She also reviews submissions for AAPA research grants and AAPA and PAEA conferences. She is currently serving as a member of the AAPA Commission on Research and Strategic Initiatives and is an ASAPA research committee member.

Quincy Jones MSW, LCSW, MHS, PA-C

Quincy Jones is an associate professor and clinical coordinator at the Duke PA Program where she has been a PA educator for the last 8 years. She practices clinically in family medicine at a residential substance use disorder recovery program and in endocrinology in the Adult Gender Clinic at Duke. Jones is currently pursuing her doctorate in public health with a focus on health, policy, administration, and leadership. Her academic and research interests include sexual and gender minority health, hepatitis C treatment models for patients with substance use disorders, reducing bias in faculty hiring, student belongingness, and addressing healthcare disparities.

All Research Fellows

Find out more about the Fellows and their Fellowship-Related publications.

2022-2023 AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows

Bethany Grubb, MPAS, MPH, PA-C
Chris Roman, DMS, PA-C

2021-2022 AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows

Alice Eggleston, MPH, PA-C
Yolanda Freeman-Hildreth, PhD, PA-C, of the University of Detroit-Mercy
Nick Hudak, MPA, MSEd, PA-C, of Duke University

2020-2021 PAEA Research Fellows

Adrian Banning, DHSc, MMS, PA-C of Drexel University
Stephanie Neary, MPA, MMS, PA-C of Yale School of Medicine PA Online Program

2019-2020 AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows

Kari Bernard, MS, PA-C, of MEDEX Northwest
Vanessa Bester, EdD, PA-C, of Augsburg University

2018-2019 AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows

Bettie Coplan, MPAS, PA-C, of Northern Arizona University
Morgan Nowak, MS, PA-C, of Shenandoah University
Ryan White, MS, MPH, PA-C, of Rutgers University

2017-2018 AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows

Christy Hanson, MPAS, PA-C, of Bethel University
Virginia Valentin, DrPH, PA-C, of University of Utah
Alicia Quella, PhD, PA-C, of Augsburg University