Skip to content
  • Trustee Login
  • Associate Login
  • Trustee Login
  • Associate Login
  • Trustee Login
  • Associate Login
PA logo
DONATE

search

  • About The Society

    Who Are We

    Dedicated to the history and legacy of the physician assistant profession

    Collection Description

    Chronicles the development of various professional organizations

    Founding Members

    Individuals who joined us during our first year

    Mission, Vision & Values

    Learn about our mission, vision & values

    PA Veterans Garden

    Visit the McElligott PA Veterans Garden

    PAHx History & Projects

    Explore our history and projects

    News & Events

    See what’s new at PAHx
    X icon
  • Information & Links

    Initial State Recognition of Physician Assistants

    Find out when your state started recognizing the PA profession

    Our Associates

    View the Associates of the PA History Society

    Past Presidents of the National Organizations

    View our past presidents

    National Conference

    View the locations & dates for the National Conference

    PA Glossary

    Abbreviations, acronyms & titles associated with the physician assistant profession

    Preserving History

    Find several resources for preserving, documenting & archiving historical documents and materials

    Trivia

    Test your PA history knowledge

    Newsletter

    Read the most recent issue

    Helpful Links

    Find links and additional resources

    Search Options

    View our different search options

  • Illustrated History

    Archival Research

    Use finding aids for our collections

    Biographies

    Read our numerous biographies

    Collection & Exhibits

    Our collection features artwork, artifacts and exhibitions

    Oral Histories

    Listen or watch oral history interviews from PAs or those close to the profession's history

    Research Library & References

    Library collections, books and serials

    Videos

    Our moving image collection includes film and video

    Photos

    Slides, photographs, negatives & others

    Historical Perspectives

    Essays, personal narratives and long articles on aspects of PA history

    PA Timeline

    View important milestones and events

    International PA Timeline

    View international milestones and events

    Historical Highlights

    Orgs that are saving and preserving their history

    Celebrating 50

    PA programs that have celebrated their 50th anniversaries

  • Support The Society

    How To Support Us

    Help our staff work with organizations, institutions, researchers and archivists

    Friends of the Society

    View our friends and find out how to become one

    Our Associates

    Become an active partner

    First Class Photos

    First class photos of our Associates

    PA History Books

    Find out how to order your copy

    PA History Products

    Lapel pins, posters, and art prints

    Become an Active Participant

    Learn how to support us
    X icon
  • Contact

Edward Gaile, PA-C

X icon

Edward Gaile was an ideal candidate for the Duke PA Program in 1976. He was a prior Navy Corpsman with demonstrated leadership abilities. His Naval career began in 1967 after graduating high school in Vienna, VA. After finishing hospital corpsman school with excellent marks, he was selected for additional training to become an OR Technician. He excelled and was sent to the Naval Medical Research Center at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. The young Seaman was involved in researching the wound healing problems that were seen coming out of the Vietnam war. He also studied fetal renal function in animals. After promotion to Petty Officer, his second assignment was aboard the USS Enterprise CVA(N)-65. While aboard ship, he took the SAT Exam and applied for college. It was around this same time he read an article about the current U.S. physician shortage and the new “physician assistant” concept being tried at Duke University. After discharge, and with a fresh degree from the University of Virginia, Mr. Gaile entered his PA studies in 1976 at Duke University. He graduated in 1978 with another exceptional PA, Reginal Carter, PhD, who would eventually become Program Director of the Duke PA program.

During his time at Duke, Mr. Gaile again excelled. He was elected president of the Eugene Stead Student Society and began his early work with the AAPA in its House of Delegates. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and received the 1978 Richard J Scheele Memorial Award for Outstanding Scholastic and Clinical Achievement. After graduation, he moved his family to Atlanta to begin work with one of the city’s premier cardiologist at Crawford Long Hospital. There he met two other Duke graduates and former Navy Corpsmen, Alan Sams and Marshall Sinback. They, along with other formally trained PAs in the area, established the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA).

Mr. Gaile became the chair of various committees within the GAPA, served as GAPA secretary, 1981-82, and served as president of the organization in 1983. Mr. Gaile lobbied the Georgia legislature to include PAs on its regulatory board, was appointed to its PA Advisory Committee and ultimately became the single PA on the Composite Board of Medical Examiners. On the national PA scene, Mr. Gaile was appointed as the Georgia representative to the AAPA House of Delegates, served 9 years on the AAPA HOD’s Professional Certification Committee, 5 years as chairman, and participated in the state legislative subcommittee for 3 years. Additional national exposure included memberships on the AAPA Judicial Affairs Committee, the PA Foundation Scholarship Committee and in 1998 as AAPA representative to the AAPA-NCCPA Workgroup on Current Certification and PA Licensure. He served as a NCCPA Commissioner for nine years (1987-1996), including two years as its Treasurer. As his career progressed, ultimate awards were bestowed by the Duke University PA Program in 2001 with the Distinguished Alumnus Award and induction into the PA Hall of Fame in 2002.

Mr. Gaile was recognized as an exceptional clinical cardiac PA. He was the first PA to participate in the annual American College of Cardiology Policy Research Conference (1994). His work at the conference produced strong, affirmative support statements on the utilization of PAs in cardiology practice. He also found time to author cardiology sections in The Physician Assistant Medical Handbook and the 25th Bethesda Conference (1994) publication of the American College of Cardiology.

Mr. Gaile’s clinical practice spans 40 years in Atlanta. He practiced general cardiology, interventional cardiology, and worked on cardiac transplantation teams. He helped train, proctor, mentor, and precept numerous PA students along the way. Mr. Gaile retired to Florida in 2018 where he and his wife enjoy being with their children and grandchildren, golfing, and pestering ocean fish. An idyllic close to an exceptional clinical and professional life by any measure.

Acknowledgments: This biography was written by Hank Heard with the assistance of Edward Gaile. It was submitted to the Society in April 2021. All photographs are courtesy Mr. Gaile.

When using information from this biography, please provide the proper citation as described within the PA History Society Terms of Use.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
biography
biography
PA logo
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram

About Us

  • Who Are We
  • Collection Description
  • Founding Members
  • Our Mission, Vision & Values
  • PAHx History & Projects
  • Newsletter

Information

  • Initial State Recognition Of PAs
  • Past Presidents
  • National Conference
  • PA Glossary
  • Preserving History
  • Helpful Links

Support Us

  • How To Support Us
  • Friends Of The Society
  • Our Associates
  • PA History Books

Contact Us

(678) 417-8682

Contactus@pahx.org

12000 Findley Road Suite 100
Johns Creek, GA 30097-1409

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Notice
  • Collection Development Policy

© 2023 Physician Assistant History Society® All Rights Reserved