Women’s History Month is a time to honor and celebrate the amazing work that female PAs do every day and the impact they have made in the PA profession.
The first female PA was pioneer Joyce Nichols. She had to battle many preconceptions on her ability to take part in the Duke PA program but not only was she capable of the course work, she excelled in it. You may read more about this trailblazer on her biography or listen to her audio-only oral history interview.
Biographies
Joyce Nichols [see photo right] cared deeply about providing quality healthcare to those in rural communities, which led her to open the first rural satellite clinics in North Carolina. Following in Nichols’s footsteps, the female PAs noted below have worked to aid rural communities. This Women’s History Month, please explore their biographies to learn more about them and their contributions to the PA profession.
Ruth Ballweg [see photo right] and Ellen Harder both worked to open MEDEX training sites in rural areas of the northwest and Alaska. They also worked with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to help rural communities have access to medical care.
Libby Coyte has dedicated her career as a PA to helping the medically underserved, especially in rural communities in Iowa. She was a consultant for the Rural Health Clinics Program for Iowa Department of Health and has worked with many legislators to improve rural health issues within the state.
Bridget Keast was awarded the Rural PA of the Year by Oklahoma Academy of PAs. During clinical orientations, Keast always presents the rural Oklahoma perspective to the students.
Patricia Kelly was one of the founders of Aquarian Effort Free Medical Care (now Wellspace Health). She dedicated over a decade of her career providing healthcare to those with no resources, passionate about working at the intersection of medicine and social justice.
The late Kathy Kemle a was respected leader in geriatrics and palliative medicine. She helped to create a rural cooperative PA training model that was repeated nationally. She also developed home visit and house call programs.
Grace Landell has spent her career making sure those in underserved communities have access to quality healthcare.
Oral History Interviews
Below are a collection of oral history interviews focusing on female PAs who have made an impact on rural communities. Please watch these inspiring stories to help celebrate Women’s History Month.
Katherine Footracer volunteered at a medical center in a remote Native American reservation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Andrea Heeter worked at the Indian Health Service to help bring care to rural communities.
Kathy Pedersen, in this joint interview with her husband, talks about bringing healthcare to remote communities overseas.