Job Summary

The Drexel University Physician Assistant (PA) program seeks a visionary, energetic, and evidence-based leader to serve as its next program director. This is a 12-month non-tenure track faculty position at the rank of Clinical Associate Professor or Clinical Professor. Drexel’s PA program, currently ranked #10 in the country by U.S. News & World Report, is one of the nation’s oldest and most established PA programs. Our fully accredited program has 15 full-time faculty, three support staff, and is located in the Health Sciences Division of the College of Nursing & Health Professions—one of Drexel University’s largest colleges. Our program is committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty, student body, and the physician assistant workforce. Candidates who identify as a member of an underrepresented population group in the physician assistant profession are encouraged to apply.
Our new program director will join us at an exciting time. In August 2022, we move to the newly constructed Health Sciences Building on Drexel’s main campus in University City, Philadelphia. This state-of-the-art health education and research building will house our college’s many departments (https://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/departments/), the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences & Professional Studies, and Drexel’s College of Medicine. Our new facilities are among the best in the nation and position Drexel as a leading destination for learners, clinicians, researchers, and industry partners. In addition to Drexel University, the University City section of Philadelphia is home to the University of Pennsylvania, the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian Hospital, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. University City is a regional hub for innovation and development in technology and the life sciences. It’s a vibrant part of the city with a growing number of restaurants, businesses, and wellness spaces.

Essential Functions

• Serves as the academic leader of the PA program
• Promotes excellence in teaching, research, and service personally and within the PA faculty
• Remains active in teaching, scholarship, and service 
• Manages the PA program budget, purchasing, and enrollment in collaboration with division and college leaders to maintain program and institutional strength and stability 
• Creates a vision for the PA program in collaboration with the program’s faculty that is aligned with the visions and strategic plans of the division of health sciences, college, and University 
• Performs strategic planning for the PA program in collaboration with the faculty and institutional leaders
• Works collaboratively with program faculty and institutional leaders to maintain and grow the PA program’s reputation as an academic leader in the PA profession
• Manages the recruitment, selection, and professional development of program faculty and professional staff
• Recruits, manages, and develops adjunct faculty that assist the program in achieving its mission
• Supervises all program faculty and support staff, including the medical director
• Manages faculty annual reviews, workload, and career development
• Creates and advances a culture of equity and inclusion within the program
• Oversees PA student advisement and remediation 
• Performs continuous program self-study and assessment of the program’s curriculum and instruction to ensure it is current, innovative, and on the leading edge in the profession 
• Works collaboratively with the program’s director of clinical education and the college’s director of strategic partnerships to secure and maintain clinical placements/partnerships 
• Monitors PA student progress and outcomes throughout the program and on board examination(s) 
• Engages and delivers ongoing value to alumni and other stakeholders; works to develop giving, scholarships, and other types of departmental support in collaboration with Drexel Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations
• Plans annual new PA student orientation days in collaboration with program faculty and professional staff
• Plans annual white coat ceremony, senior celebration, Pi Alpha and Alpha Eta certificates as well as specific awards for preceptors, faculty, students in collaboration with program faculty
• Develops, organizes, and conducts program team meetings
• Actively coordinates, plans and prepares the physician assistant program’s self-study reports for on-going program accreditation; revises self-study and annual reports per revisions in standards 
• Serves on appropriate departmental, division, college, and university committees
• Attends meetings for academic leaders in the health sciences division or college
• Attends, participates, and officially represents Drexel University at the PAEA, AAPA, and regional and state professional meetings relevant to physician assistant education and practice
• Approve verifications for state and health system licensing for alumni 

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master's Degree in Physician Assistant or the equivalent combination of education and work experience. (Please review the Equivalency Chart for additional information.)
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience. 
• Certified Physician Assistant with a minimum of 5 years experience
• Masters or Doctoral degree
• Pennsylvania licensure or eligibility.
• Excellence in classroom and/or clinical teaching
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and health equity
• Knowledge of and experience in the ARC-PA accreditation process

Preferred Qualifications

• Evidence of successful leadership in a physician assistant education program
• Evidence of demonstrated commitment to student success, strong support for faculty development, and collaboration within the PA program and across the institution
• Identifies as a member of an underrepresented population in the physician assistant profession

Physical Demands

• Typically sitting at a desk/table

Location

• University City - Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This is a Full-Time Faculty position classified as Exempt. The offered salary is based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review. For information about benefits, please review Drexel’s Full-Time Faculty Benefit Fact Sheet or Part-Time Faculty Benefit Fact Sheet.

Special Instructions to the Applicant
Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

A review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.