William Ameres, MS, PA-C, is a distinguished physician assistant/physician associate (PA) and educator. His PA career has featured clinical work in emergency medicine, urgent care, and primary care. Ameres has dedicated over 25 years of his professional career to PA education, earning him recognition as one of the most influential educators in the profession.
Growing up with a twin brother and two older sisters in Middle Village, Queens, New York, Ameres was the first in his family to pursue a career in healthcare. His interest began during his teenage years while working at a local bagel shop, where paramedics often frequented during overnight shifts.
After high school, Ameres attended Queensborough Community College in Bayside, New York, where he studied laser and fiber optic technology. During his time there, he took an emergency medical technician (EMT) course and subsequently joined the Middle Village Volunteer Ambulance Corps. While working as an EMT, Ameres encountered a provider in the emergency room whom he initially thought was a physician. However, after noticing that she signed patient care reports with “PA” rather than “MD,” he started asking questions, which ultimately led him to discover the PA profession. After learning that there was a PA program at Long Island University (LIU), Ameres quickly called the school, requesting information. Certain that this was the career path he wanted to pursue, he enrolled in a pre-PA program at Queensborough Community College and subsequently earned his associate of applied science (A.A.S.) degree in 1991. Afterwards, Ameres applied to PA programs and ultimately chose LIU for its established reputation and legacy of success.
William Ameres excelled during his time at LIU, earning his B.S. in physician assistant studies in 1993. As a standout student, he served as a class representative and graduated as class valedictorian—notably, the first male student to achieve this distinction in his program. During his time as a PA student, Ameres displayed his strong academic abilities by winning the New York State Society of Physician Associates (NYSSPA) Challenge Bowl in 1992 and competing in the AAPA National Medical Challenge Bowl in Miami in 1993. After graduation, Ameres pursued his long-time passion for emergency medicine. He accepted a position at Beth Israel Medical Center where he was offered a scholarship that covered his clinical year tuition. Ameres later went on to broaden his clinical experience through roles in urgent care at Kingsboro Medical Group and primary care at Ocean Physicians. This progression allowed him to witness the continuum of care firsthand.
Receiving a call from LIU requesting him to teach, Ameres branched out into PA education. He initially discovered his aptitude for teaching while in PA school with his background in tutoring and natural ability to explain complex medical concepts to fellow classmates. In 1998, Ameres joined the Brooklyn Hospital Center/LIU PA Program as pre-professional coordinator, later advancing to academic coordinator. In 2000, he started working at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he initially served as instructor of PA Studies in Clinical Medicine and senior assessment coordinator and was later promoted to director of pre-clinical education, a position he continues to hold today. To further his credentials as an educator, Ameres later returned to LIU, earning his M.S. in pharmacology and toxicology in 2009. Ameres’s pursuit of advanced education continues today, as he works toward a doctor of medical science (DMS) degree from Butler University.
Currently, William Ameres is a professor at multiple PA programs, including Weill Cornell, LIU, and Yeshiva University. His extensive teaching portfolio includes courses in physiology, clinical medicine, physical diagnosis, medical interviewing, surgical aspects of primary care, and emergency medicine. Ameres’s excellence in teaching has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Outstanding Pre-Clinical Instructor Awards from Weill Cornell Medicine (2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023) and the LEAP Excellence in Medical Education Award in 2024. He has also been invited to serve as the keynote speaker for the LIU PA Program Senior Awards Ceremony (2014, 2019, 2020). In 2016, Ameres was inducted into the Pi Alpha National Honor Society for PAs, further cementing his standing in the PA education community.
When asked what the most rewarding part of teaching is, Ameres says, “When students smile because they get it.” Influenced by Peter Brown’s Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, Ameres has developed a teaching philosophy that emphasizes using emotional connections to facilitate memory retention. As he often says to his students, “The memory potion is emotion.” Ultimately, Ameres’s extensive work has helped train numerous classes of healthcare providers, earning him widespread respect in the PA community.
Acknowledgements
This biography was prepared by Phoebe Kubo with the assistance of William Ameres. It was submitted to the Society in April 2025. Photographs are provided courtesy of Mr. Ameres.
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