HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Meritus Health is community-obsessed.
That commitment is evident in the health system’s decision to hire at least four recent
graduates from the physician assistant (PA) program, joining several students from the
program already at Meritus.
Frostburg State University has offered Master of Medical Science in Physician
Assistant Studies through the University System of Maryland – Hagerstown (USMH)
since 2019. The two-year program has 25 graduates each year.
Jacob Ashby, Ed.D., the executive director of USMH, said the program was created
with Meritus in mind. He said the school collaborated with the health system to make
sure physician assistants were trained to meet the region’s growing need for
healthcare access. It recently created a track just for students who intend to work at
Meritus after graduation.
As part of the partnership, Meritus provides both a medical director and the real-world
clinical training for selected students. Aaron George, M.D., is currently the medical
director and Bernardo Diaz Jr., M.D., was recently recognized as the preceptor of the
year for his skill as a mentor and educator for the students.
“There is a need for physicians and physician assistants in our region,” Ashby said.
“We’re helping to serve that need. USMH and Meritus work really well together.”
Kerry Birney, MSHS, PA-C, interim department chair and program director of the
Department of Physician Assistant Medicine, said the program has admission
preferences for students who come from Washington County and the other four
counties that make up Western Maryland, as well as adjacent counties in Pennsylvania
and West Virginia.
“The mission of the program is to ensure we have good access to healthcare in the
Western Maryland region,” she said. “People from the area are more likely to stay in
the area.”
The training also has a focus on serving rural and underserved populations, she said.
Students in the program complete clinical rotations — hands-on training experiences
— at Meritus and receive support for job placement with the health system after
graduation.
“It is important to our community that we have healthcare providers who know and
understand our region,” said Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H. “That’s why our partnerships with
Frostburg State University and USMH is a win-win. We know we are getting people
who not only are experts in their field of medicine, but they also choose to live and
work here.”
The four new physician assistants joining Meritus are:
- Kelly Combs
- Gabriela Scott
- Poojah Shah
- Jessica Shank
They are due to start with the health system in the fall.
To learn more about the Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies
program at Frostburg State through USMH, visit
www.frostburg.edu/programs/graduate-physician-assistant/welcome.php .
To learn about job openings at Meritus Health, visit www.meritushealth.com/careers.