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Oral Histories

Audiotapes, Videos and DVDs

The Oral History Collection contains audiotapes, videos and DVDs with corresponding transcripts produced either by the Society or by others and then gifted to the Society. Holdings from this collection have been digitized and placed in the Society’s digital archival collection using PastPerfect™ software.

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While there is no substitute for original correspondence and other primary source materials, interviews help us understand better the context in which decisions were made, offer fresh insights, and suggest directions for further research. The Society continues to identify, collect, catalog and preserve existing audio and video oral histories and is conducting additional interviews with key individuals to fill in gaps of missing information.

Featured Oral Histories

Doug Howell

Doug Howell, PA, educator, and veteran, shares his path to becoming a PA, the effects the Vietnam War had on him and how he overcame them, and what he the message he hopes students, PA, and everyone learn. Howell's humilty, kindness and love of the PA profession make this an interview not only a "must" to watch, but one to be shared.

South Georgia Farm Workers Project

Jeff Myers, MPH, MMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FAAPM, sat down with former Emory University PA Program faculty, Terry Mize, Tom Himelick, and Randy Bundschu, to discuss the formation and evolution of the Emory Farmworker Project - formerly the South Georgia Farm Worker Health Project.

Wendell Wharton

Wendell Wharton shares what inspired him to become a PA, how he served his profession in his home state of California and nationally, and the history of how the Minority Affairs Committee became the African Heritage Caucus.

Paola Gonzalez

Paola Gonzalez, MPAS, PA-C, currently works in oncology. She also is a leader in PAs for Latino Health, the AAPA, and her community. She shares her most memorable patient interaction, why she was drawn to her leadership roles, and the importance of advocacy in the PA profession.

Featured Audio Interviews

Maryann Ramos

Maryann F. Ramos participates in a biographical sketch interview given by PA students. Highlights of her interview include: What the PA program was like in the 1970s, her work as a PA at the Pentagon during 9/11, and her work to help pass PA legislation in Puerto Rico. She also gives advice to students in the PA program and her thoughts on where the field is heading.
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Barney McCollough

Leila Ledbetter's interview of Barney McCollough on being the first PA in Florida, working with Bill Clinton in Arkansas to use PAs to help rural communities, and working in Arkansas, Iowa and Florida to set up rural health clinics. McCollough also graduated from the first class of PAs from the University of Alabama.
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Ann Bliss

Recording is by John Cavenagh who interviewed Ann Bliss during his days as a student in 1976. They discuss the founding of the PA program at Yale.
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George F. Hillegas III

George F. "Rick" Hillegas III, EdD, MPH, PA-C, DFAAPA, comes back for a second interview. This time he focuses on his time spent in the Coast Guard, what decided him on becoming a PA, and how he lobbied for commissioning of PAs.
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Oral History Collections

PAs and The HIV/AIDS Epidemic

This oral history series highlights the role PAs and the AAPA LBGT Caucus played in healthcare during the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.
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Medic and Corpsmen

This project was originally in collaboration with the Maine Military Museum. This is a collection of interviews with PAs who began their health practitioner careers as either military medics or corpsmen.
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The PA Profession In The Netherlands

This series interviews those who helped start and shape the PA profession in the Netherlands.
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Additional Resources

Search Guide

If you need help searching our Oral Histories, visit our Search Guide.
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Additional Videos

To see more of our video Oral Histories, please visit our Vimeo account.
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Voices of the PA profession

Please use the suggestion box to recommend individuals who should be interviewed about specific events in their own or our collective professional history.
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