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Oral Histories

Audiotapes, Videos and DVDs

The Oral History Collection contains audiotapes, videos and DVDs with corresponding transcripts produced either by the Society or by others and then gifted to the Society. Holdings from this collection have been digitized and placed in the Society’s digital archival collection using PastPerfect™ software.

Entire Collection
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While there is no substitute for original correspondence and other primary source materials, interviews help us understand better the context in which decisions were made, offer fresh insights, and suggest directions for further research. The Society continues to identify, collect, catalog and preserve existing audio and video oral histories and is conducting additional interviews with key individuals to fill in gaps of missing information.

Featured Oral Histories

The COVID-19 Pandemic & PAs in Nephrology

A roundtable discussion with five members of the American Academy of Nephrology PAs (AANPA). They recount their experiences throughout the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, including how it affected their practice, their patients and their memorable moments. The Certified PAs who took part in the discussion were: Rebecca Gordon (California), Peter Juergensen (Connecticut), Amy Mosman (Missouri), Becky Ness (Minnesota), and Laura Troidle (Connecticut).

Jim Parle

Jim Parle, MBChB, DRCOG, FRCGP, MD, gives a mini oral history at the 2016 PAEA conference. Dr. Parle is the Course Director of the University of Birmingham's Physician Assistant Programme, Brimingham, England. Dr. Parle talks about his role in the spread of Physician Assistants in the UK.

Zach Murphy

Zach Murphy, PA-C, is one of the creators for the hit medical education Youtube channel Ninja Nerd. In this interview he tells us his journey to become a PA, the founding of Ninja Nerd, and what he hopes the future will be for the channel.

Katherine GeeBah Footracer

Katherine GeeBah Footracer, MS, PA-C, shares how she became a PA and how she helped out during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also offers her thoughts on how the pandemic changed healthcare and how PAs are viewed.

Featured Audio Interviews

Barney McCollough

Leila Ledbetter's interview of Barney McCollough on being the first PA in Florida, working with Bill Clinton in Arkansas to use PAs to help rural communities, and working in Arkansas, Iowa and Florida to set up rural health clinics. McCollough also graduated from the first class of PAs from the University of Alabama.
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George Stevenson

Interview of George Stevenson by Dr. Reggie Carter. Dr. Stevenson talks about recruiting Roger Whittaker to work for him as a surgical assistant and about the Shasta County vs Whittaker court case.
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Lynn May

Lynn May talks on his time as Executive Director of the AAPA in its early years.
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Arthur Ethington

MAJ Arthur "Art" Ethington, a retired Air Force Neurosurgical PA, talks about how he became a PA and the highlights of his career as a PA, and how he got into orthopedic neurosugery.
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Oral History Collections

PAs and The HIV/AIDS Epidemic

This oral history series highlights the role PAs and the AAPA LBGT Caucus played in healthcare during the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.
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Medic and Corpsmen

This project was originally in collaboration with the Maine Military Museum. This is a collection of interviews with PAs who began their health practitioner careers as either military medics or corpsmen.
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The PA Profession In The Netherlands

This series interviews those who helped start and shape the PA profession in the Netherlands.
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Additional Resources

Search Guide

If you need help searching our Oral Histories, visit our Search Guide.
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Additional Videos

To see more of our video Oral Histories, please visit our Vimeo account.
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Voices of the PA profession

Please use the suggestion box to recommend individuals who should be interviewed about specific events in their own or our collective professional history.
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