Thank you to everyone who participated in our PA Week Trivia Contest! We hope you had as much fun as we did.
Our three lucky winners for the PA Week Trivia Drawing are: Yvonne Lee, Joshua Penninger, and Xavier Zelaya. Congratulations!
If you were curious as to what the answers were to our trivia questions, please look below.
Question #1: What was the last remaining US jurisdiction to authorize PA practice?
Answer: Puerto Rico in 2019. Find out more on our Timeline of the PA profession.
Question #2: From 1975 to the present, what city has hosted the most AAPA and PAEA national conferences?
Answer: It’s a tie! Washington, DC and New Orleans for a total of 6 times each! See where AAPA and PAEA have held their national conferences in the past on our National Conferences Locations and Dates webpage.
Question #3: What annual event was established in 1987 to help increase the number of people of color and those from underserved communities in the PA profession?
Answer: Project Access. Find out more about the program and its history at the African Heritage Caucus website. [Photo: Project Access Group Photo, 1988]
Question #4: Who was the first female physician to establish a PA program?
Answer: Dr. Margaret Kirklin worked with her husband Dr. John Kirklin to open the University of Alabama, Birmingham Surgical Assistant Program in 1967 and soon took sole control of the program once it was established. Read more about her on her biography!
Question #5: Which branch of the armed forces was the first to commission PAs as officers in 1978?
Answer: The US Air Force. George McCullough was the first PA to work in the White House Medical Unit and had the privilege of being sworn in for his commissioning ceremony at the White House! Read more about him on his bio. [Photo: Rear Adm. William Matthew Lukash, head physician to the president in 1979, commissions George McCullough (center).]
Question #6: What university was the first to offer a master’s degree in PA education in 1988?
Answer: Duke University. For more fun PA history fact, make sure to browse through our PA History Timeline.
Question #7: Which country started a medical assistant/physician assistant training program around the same time as the US Duke University PA program?
Answer: Liberia in 1965. Look through our International PA Timeline to see more global milestones in the profession.
Make sure to regularly visit our website and social media sites to learn more about PA history throughout the year and to also keep updated on the History Society’s projects!
