Peter Yen, DMSc, MSHA, PA-C, LSSGB, is among the healthcare executives and physician associates whose leadership has contributed to the growth and evolution of the PA profession. His career embodies how PAs have advanced from clinical practitioners to strategic leaders driving the design, delivery, and transformation of healthcare systems.
Born in Taiwan, Yen immigrated to the United States as a child and was raised in Long Island, New York; he became a naturalized citizen in the early 1980s. His immigrant experience instilled in him a lifelong respect for perseverance, humility, and opportunity. These values guided him through his PA education at D’Youville University, where he graduated with academic honors in 2001.
Yen began his professional career at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston, providing complex surgical and wound care for pediatric burn patients. From 2004 to 2008, he joined the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center at Brooke Army Medical Center, the nation’s premier military burn facility. Working alongside multidisciplinary trauma and surgical teams, he refined protocols for acute and reconstructive burn care and gained a deep appreciation for interprofessional collaboration—a defining feature of PA practice.
Peter Yen later served as a faculty associate in Trauma and Burn Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, mentoring residents and advanced practice providers in clinical leadership and patient-centered innovation.
In 2011, Yen joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System, one of the Southeast’s leading academic medical centers, as senior advanced practice provider for Burn, Wound, and Trauma Services. Simultaneously, he served as adjunct faculty in UAB’s Physician Assistant Program, teaching advanced trauma and burn care.
He earned a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration (MSHA) from UAB in 2018 and a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) from the University of Lynchburg in 2019.
Since 2019, Yen has led system-wide development, operations, and strategy for Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America (BRCA)—the nation’s largest burn and wound network – as vice president of Service Development and hospital consultant administrator. His leadership achievements illustrate how PAs now shape healthcare infrastructure at scale. Some of these achievements are as follows:
- Launched four new adult and pediatric burn/wound centers at major acute-care hospitals.
- Provided executive oversight and operational support to six additional centers.
- Secured Level I State Burn Center designation for Chippenham Hospital (Richmond, VA) and led ABA re-verification for Medical City Plano (TX).
Yen also serves on the programmatic panel for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Military Burn Research Program (MBRP), which advises on the allocation of annual federal funding for burn science innovation.
Peter Yen is a previous vice president of the Academy of Doctoral Physician Assistants (ADPA) and currently serves as its chief executive officer. Under his leadership, the ADPA has:
- Implemented a five-year strategic plan which focuses on sustainable growth and national visibility.
- Forged partnerships promoting the expanded scope of doctoral-trained PAs in executive leadership roles.
- Developed national CME symposia and leadership conferences.
A strong advocate for mentorship, Yen serves as a Forge mentor in UAB’s Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA) Executive Program, guiding emerging healthcare leaders in professional growth and work-life balance. He promotes a “Just Culture” leadership model—one that blends transparency, accountability, and empathy.
Outside of his professional life, Yen remains grounded by family, faith, and community. His journey—from a boy born in Taiwan to a U.S. healthcare executive shaping the next generation of leaders—reflects the enduring spirit of the PA profession itself: adaptive, service-driven, and ever advancing.
Acknowledgements
This biography was prepared by Debra Munsell with the assistance of Dr. Peter Yen. It was submitted to the Society in October 2025. Photographs are provided courtesy of Dr. Yen.
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