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Pangela Dawson

Chair, Assistant Dean, Founding Program Director

Dr. Pangela Dawson joined Morehouse School of Medicine in August of 2017 as the Founding Program Director for the Physician Assistant Program. After designing, developing, and implementing the new program, she was quickly promoted to assistant dean and department chair. Under these expanded titles, Dr. Dawson established one of newest departments for the institution. Prior to arriving at Morehouse School of Medicine, she earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy Studies and Evaluation in Higher Education from the University of Kentucky. Her dissertation focused on utilizing community-based educational and health-promotion strategies to assist domestic violence survivors in the marginalized communities. During this time, she also completed a certificate of study in Gender and Women’s Studies. Her academic training includes a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Dawson began her academic career at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, where she served as Director of the Clinical Education. Her role included overseeing 300 regional, national, and international clinical sites and over 700 rotation experiences for students during the clinical year. Dr. Dawson later received academic appointments at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) School of Osteopathic Medicine as the Director of the Physician Assistant and Master of Biomedical Sciences Programs. She also served as the Clinical Coordinator at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA). In this role, she worked to collaborate with community affiliations across south Texas and throughout the San Antonio metropolitan area.

As a practicing physician assistant, Dr. Dawson specialized in orthopedic pediatrics and chronic pain management and rehabilitation. Her current research interests include identifying early indicators for student success and enhancing cultural proficiencies in medical education.

Oct. 3, 2022

Season 3: Episode 43 - Morehouse School of Medicine PA Program

In our first episode back from break we speak with Dr. Pangela Dawson about her path to becoming a PA and about the Morehouse School of Medicine PA Program. We also speak about racial justice and leadership approaches to difficult …

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