History of the PA Program
Pace University 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 Pace University-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 Pace University 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 Pace University’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 Pace University-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 Pace University’s Department of Biological Sciences into the College of Health Professions.