Jennifer Snyder, PhD, PA-C, DFAAPA, has been an educator and leader in PA education since the early 2000s. Snyder graduated from Ball State University with a BS in Biology (1992). She then received her entry-level PA degree with a BS in Physician Assistant studies from Butler University in 1997 and her master completion MPAS degree from the University of Nebraska in 1998. In 2014, she attained her PhD from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale/Davie, Florida. Her dissertation was titled: Investigation of Physician Assistants’ Choice of Rural or Underserved Practice and Framing Methods of Recruitment and Retention.
Snyder began her career in PA education as a clinical coordinator and assistant professor at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. However, she served as a didactic educator for most of her time while in PA education. She became the program director from 2015 to 2018 and then Chair of the Department of PA Studies from 2016 to 2018. In 2019 she was named Chair of the Department of Medical Sciences. She became Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services of Butler’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2020.
As an educator at Butler University, Snyder has been involved in the development and refinement of the entry level-PA program. She developed the program and curriculum of the Doctorate of Medical Science program; concentration and certification for Orthopedic Surgery and Critical Care Doctorate of Medical Science program; program and curriculum of the Bridge Doctorate of Medical Science program; the concentration and certification for PA Educator Doctorate of Medical Science, the certificate of Nurse Educator program, the Transition of Clinical Practice program for onboarding Advanced Practice Nurses/Physician Assistants, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, and supported the development of the Online Pharmacy Program and Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science program. Snyder has participated in the education of 875 PA students and over 100 post professional doctoral PA students. She aspires to develop a PhD program specifically for PAs because she believes through research, we will justify the PA profession’s ‘WHY.’
To date, Snyder has published nearly thirty peer-reviewed publications, including those within the Journal of Physician Assistant Education (JPAE), Journal of the American Academy of PAs, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Consultant Pharmacy, and the Journal of Medical Entomology. She is most proud of the collaborative bonds she has developed and the ability to work with exceptional colleagues and researchers through these efforts. She has been a peer reviewer for JPAE, Medical Education Online, and PLOS ONE.
Snyder has given back to the PA profession in through various leadership roles. Snyder has served as a volunteer site visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission for PA Education (2010-2012). She is a Standard and Open Pathways volunteer site visitor for the Peer Corps, Higher Learning Commission, a position she has held since 2020. She has served in most Board roles for the Indiana Academy of PAs from 1998 to 2004 including elected President in 2001. She was the Indiana Academy’s delegate to the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) House of Delegates (2003-2009, 2017-present). She has been a member of numerous committees, workgroups, and taskforces, of the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), the PA Foundation, and the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). Snyder was a board member of the PAEA from 2013 to 2017. She became the PAEA board president in 2016.
Snyder has been recognized with numerous awards, some of which include Butler University’s PA Class of 2009 Faculty of the Year, Student Academy of AAPA President’s Award (2011), PAEA’s Master Faculty of the Year (2019), Butler University’s Scholarship Star (2020-2021), and Butler University’s Faculty All Star (2021-2022). Snyder is a member of the AAPA, the Indiana Academy of PAs, the Indiana Academy of Science, Sigma Xi, and the Pi Alpha National Honor Society.
Acknowledgments: This biography was written by PA History Society staff with the assistance of Jennifer Snyder and was submitted to the Society in September 2023. Photographs were provided courtesy of Dr. Snyder.
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