Dallas Lipscomb, DMSc, PA-C, is a U.S. Air Force veteran, physician associate, educator, and founder of Compassion Care Clinic in New Mexico. He has spent his life following the belief that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” He grew up knowing both the challenges and the pride of military life as his father was in the Navy and then transitioned to the Airforce after Lipscomb was born. He attended 13 schools in 12 years, learning early how to adapt to new environments, connect with others, and build relationships across differences; skills that would later become invaluable in his medical career.
In high school, Lipscomb discovered a lifelong love for wrestling, a sport that demanded focus, resilience, and grit. He became a standout athlete, eventually wrestling for Wright State University, where he also pursued a biology degree with the intent to attend medical school. Even then, he was driven by a desire to help people through medicine, but financial challenges temporarily placed that dream on hold.
Unable to continue his pre-med studies due to financial strain, Dallas Lipscomb enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. While stationed at Williams Air Force Base, he met Lieutenant William Wahlert PA-C, who would later become one of the founders of the New Mexico Academy of Physician Assistants. Lt. Wahlert suggested that Lipscomb become a PA. That brief conversation opened the door to a profession Lipscomb hadn’t even known existed.
Lipscomb’s journey to becoming a PA included several enlisted assignments including completion of an Associate of Science in Surgical technology. He applied to the Air Force PA program and was accepted on his second attempt into the “hangar class,” which was the fifth cohort whose classes held in a hangar at Sheppard Air Force Base. He graduated in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree, earning his commission just two weeks before his 30th birthday – the age limit for commissioning at the time. He was not only a newly minted Air Force PA, but also a single father of three young daughters.
Lipscomb’s first clinical assignment was at Scott Air Force Base Medical Center in Illinois. Within six months, he was selected to join the Family Practice residency faculty, where he taught residents and PA students a range of procedures from joint injections to vasectomies. He became the only PA at Scott Air Force Base authorized to teach both residents and precept PA students. Over the next eight years, he cared for more than 3,000 empaneled patients and precepted more than 40 PAs and Residents.
Among Lipscomb’s military honors are the Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Illinois Merit Service Award for Outstanding PA in Rural Medicine (2006).
After retiring from the Air Force, Lipscomb transitioned seamlessly into civilian medicine. He was recruited to a rural health clinic in Mount Vernon, Illinois, where he served in urgent care, occupational health, and family medicine. He went on to help establish or expand several rural health clinics across southern Illinois in Benton, West Frankfort, and other small towns. In 2012, a tornado struck his home in Illinois, prompting a return to the Southwest. After a brief period in El Paso conducting disability evaluations, he accepted a position at a Federally Qualified Health Center in rural New Mexico.
In 2019, Dallas Lipscomb fulfilled a lifelong dream by founding Compassion Care Clinic, a certified rural health clinic serving a small community of 800 residents, drawing patients from across New Mexico and beyond. The name itself carries symbolic weight: Compassion Care places “PA” at the center of the word “compassion,” reflecting both his identity as a physician associate and his core philosophy of empathy-driven medicine.
Under his leadership, the clinic has grown to serve more than 2,800 patients and has become a training site for PA students from universities across the country, including the University of St. Francis, Franklin Pierce University, Texas Christian University, and Miami University. To date, Lipscomb has precepted more than 20 civilian PA students, many of whom have gone on to practice in primary care and rural settings.
In 2025, Compassion Care Clinic received the PA Foundation William H. Marquardt Community Health Access Award, recognizing its extraordinary impact on access to care and its service to rural populations during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, Lipscomb’s clinic was one of the few in the region that continued to see patients face-to-face, a decision grounded in his belief that patients deserved continuity, reassurance, and care even in times of uncertainty.
Lipscomb’s commitment to mentorship has been one of the hallmarks of his professional life. He has served as a preceptor for multiple universities, received Preceptor of the Year honors from the University of St. Francis PA program, and continues to mentor students and early-career providers across disciplines. His teaching emphasizes not only medical skill, but also humility, teamwork, and the courage to care deeply.
Widowed once and now married to Connie, a retired radiologic technician, Dallas Lipscomb has built a loving, blended family of five children, 14 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Beyond his clinic, Lipscomb is an active Rotarian, a Paul Harris Fellow, and has served as president of the Mt. Vernon Rotary club. His community involvement extends to veterans’ organizations, professional associations, and rural health initiatives.
Lipscomb’s academic accomplishments reflect his belief in lifelong learning. He earned his bachelor’s degree through the Air Force PA program, followed by a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2012. In 2020, just before turning 60, he completed his Doctor of Medical Science (DMSC) from the University of Lynchburg. He was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society. He continues to expand his knowledge in rural and point-of-care ultrasound, chronic disease management, and emerging models of primary care. At Compassion Care Clinic, he incorporates technology and innovation while preserving the personal touch that defines rural medicine at its best.
Today, Lipscomb is a board member of the AAPA Veterans Caucus, completing his 2024 term as president. He is also on the New Mexico Academy of PAs Legislative Committee. When asked why he continues to teach, to serve, and to lead even after decades in medicine, his answer is simple:
“I’m trying to pay it back every day and pay it forward by teaching the next generation how to do hands-on medicine, the right way, with heart.”
He remains deeply committed to the advancement of the PA profession, often speaking about the importance of honoring its history while adapting for the future. “We can’t let the roots of our profession be forgotten,” he says. “We have to build on them with compassion, mentorship, and the courage to serve where we’re needed most.”
Acknowledgments
This biography was written by Robin Hunter-Buskey with assistance from Dr. Dallas Lipscomb and was submitted to the Society in December 2025. The photographs are also courtesy of Dr. Lipscomb.
When using information from this biography, please provide the proper citation as described within the PA History Society Terms of Use.
To request the use of the photographs that accompany this biography, please contact the PA History Society to request permission as some photographs might have restrictions on their use.
