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    Find several resources for preserving, documenting & archiving historical documents and materials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

Charles Gardiner Huntington, III, PA, MPH

X icon

Charles Gardiner Huntington, III, PA, MPH, (known as “Charlie” to his PA colleagues) was always destined to be a leader in the delivery of health care having come from a long line of physicians (including the physician who described the genetic connection to Huntington’s Chorea).

After graduating from Williams College in 1971, Charlie worked as an OR Tech at Columbia Hospital in New York City.  Upon discovering the physician assistant profession, he set his sights on becoming a rural primary care provider. He attended the Bowman Gray PA program from 1974-1976. Following completion of the program and NCCPA certification, he went into a rural practice in upstate New York near the Canadian border. He was the sole health care provider in the farming community of Hermon, NY from 1976 to 1986.

Huntington’s long involvement in PA leadership began during his student days when he served as a student delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates. He also became very active in New York PA politics and held a series of leadership positions, including president of the New York Society of PAs.

Huntington was active in the AAPA, including Speaker of the House in 1980-81 and 1981-82 and AAPA President in 1983-84.  He served as the AAPA interim executive director in 1984-85 while shuttling between his clinical practice in Hermon, NY and the AAPA office in Arlington, VA.  He was selected as the inaugural AAPA/ Burroughs Wellcome Fellow in 1986 and used the fellowship to work on the national health policy issues in a legislator’s office.  He was active in the Connecticut Public Health Association, the Unitarian Society of Hartford, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

Life-long learning was one of Huntington’s passions. He completed a master degree in public health at George Washington University in 1986 and in 1990 was a PEW Health Policy Fellow at the University of Michigan School of Public Health where he completed all the coursework for a doctorate degree.

Huntington continued to pursue health policy (and advancing the role of PAs) as director of government relations at the American Academy of Family Physicians from 1987 to 1996, including serving on the Clinton Administration’s Health Care Reform Task Force.  He moved to Connecticut in 1996 to become an Associate Dean in the Department of Community Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center where he taught medical students and oversaw the Medical Center’s continuing education programs. He was in that position until his death in 2009.

Huntington was a true PA pioneer – through clinical practice, leadership, and advocacy.

Acknowledgments: This biography was prepared with the assistance of Susan Huntington, PA-C, JD. It was submitted to the Society in August 2021.

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
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