Physician Assistant Class of 2027 Don White Coats
| The Class of 2027 Physician Assistant students began their studies a month ago, and on May 23 they donned their white coats for the first time in a ceremony marking the formal start of their professional education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
The ceremony represents a rite of passage as students enter the 28-month master’s degree Physician Assistant Studies program that will prepare them to care for patients. The Class of 2027 will be the program’s 12th graduating class.
Physician assistants are licensed medical providers who work in collaboration with a supervising physician. They take patient medical histories, conduct physical exams, order diagnostic tests, diagnose medical conditions, write prescriptions, and manage acute illness and chronic disease. The UAMS program, established in 2011, is the first at a public university in Arkansas.
“The white coat represents more than just a uniform. It really represents a strong identity as a health care provider,” said Edward Williams, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C. “With your name, UAMS patch on the side, and the gravitas that comes with it, you now step forward into your first patient encounters next week or a couple of weeks from now, and not just as students, but as compassionate providers in training.”
Williams, chair of the UAMS Department of Physician Assistant Studies in the College of Health Professions and program director, opened the ceremony and introduced College of Health Professions Dean Susan Long, Ed.D.
Dozens of friends and family filled every row of Smith Auditorium during the ceremony. Many took photos of the graduates.
Long underscored that the decision to enter health care broadens one’s focus “to include not only yourself, but now those that you’re going to serve.” She reminded the students that being a health care provider is a “privilege” and that “from this day forward, every one of you will be held to a higher standard.”
The Physician Assistant program has produced 347 PAs since its first graduating class. The Class of 2025 will soon add to that number, bringing the total to 385, Long said.
Kane Malnar, president of the Class of 2025, shared his own experience, recalling the mix of excitement and uncertainty he felt two years earlier.
“You’re not just putting on a coat today, you’re putting on a commitment — a commitment to grow, to stumble, to rise, and to become someone who your future patients will trust with their lives,” Malnar said to the incoming class.
He acknowledged the challenging road ahead but reassured them. Malnar said, “You’re here for a reason, you are capable, you’re worthy, and you’re not alone.”
Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, also spoke in a video message, highlighting the program’s vital role in addressing Arkansas’s health care needs.
“The Physician Assistant Program at UAMS is critical in meeting our mission of improving health and health care for Arkansas and beyond,” Patterson said. “We created the Physician Assistant Program at UAMS to fill a need for improving access to medical care in Arkansas by expanding our ability to produce health care professionals who can see and treat patients.”
Hundreds of family members, friends, faculty and staff in the audience watched as each of the 40 students in turn walked on to the auditorium stage and put on their white coat with the assistance of Williams and Hillary Mayberry, MPAS, PA-C, an assistant professor in the department and director of clinical education.
Just before the conclusion of the ceremony, Nadja Vawryk Button, MHS, PA-C, led students in a recitation of the Professional Oath.
After the ceremony and before joining family and friends in attendance, the Class of 2027 stood on stage for a formal group photo.
The 40 students in the physician assistant Class of 2027 and their hometowns and states, if out of Arkansas, are:
- Nicolette Altadonna — Dallas, Texas
- Grace Armstrong — Murphy, Texas
- Kamari Armstrong — Overland Park, Kansas
- Justin Ayozie — Houston, Texas
- Tia Barden — West Memphis
- Laura-Jane Bentley — Maumelle
- Syndey Booze — Glen Allen, Virginia
- Jazalynn Boyd — Houston, Texas
- Max Brigance — Pocahontas
- Alexis Brown — Paris, Texas
- Kennedy Campbell — Royal
- Taylor Christian — Mesquite, Texas
- Caroline Coplin — North Little Rock
- Baily Crump — Carlisle
- Alani Elliott — Van Buren
- Blaise English — Russellville
- Claudia Haley — Magnolia
- Natalie Hardin — Springdale
- Yaritza Hernandez — Little Rock
- Cameron Heslip — Maumelle
- Baha’a Kattom — Little Rock
- Catelyn Khamsisavang — Little Rock
- Alexandra Luciano Chamorro — Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Sireesha Maddirala — Little Rock
- Elizabeth Majors — Bryant
- Mollee McClain — Little Rock
- Rolan McNeely — Little Rock
- Lindsay Middleton — Little Rock
- Hannah Ochterbeck — Hempstead, Texas
- Meredith Reed — Greenwood
- Jovankah Rodriguez — Warren, Arkansas
- Abby Ruff — Greenwood
- Dylan Russell — Rogers
- Mary Talbot — Pine Bluff
- Chandler Thornock — Riverton, Utah
- Angel Tyson — Austin, Texas
- Helena Van — White Hall
- Abbie Walls — White Hall
- Kristian Wilcoxen — Stillwater, Oklahoma