Physician assistant student partakes in Education Association fellowship

A College of Allied Health Sciences student recently became the first person to represent Augusta University through a fellowship with the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA).

Seth French, who is on track to graduate in 2028 with his Master of Physician Assistant degree, participated in a Student Health Policy Fellowship after learning about the opportunity from Elizabeth Prince-Coleman, DMSc, PA-C, who is chair and program director for the Department of Physician Assistant.

French elected to apply for the fellowship, which typically accepts 20 people nationwide, because he wanted to learn how to bring frontline experiences into conversations about healthcare policy rather than only encountering decisions after they had been made. He submitted several essays, including one where he was tasked with selecting between two healthcare policies and explaining why he supported it or what modifications he’d like to see.

He was pleasantly surprised when he was selected and grateful for the experience.

“A lot of the individuals that I was talking to that got accepted into the fellowship all had master’s degrees in public health and I don’t, so I got a little bit of imposter syndrome,” French said laughing. “But I enjoyed the experience and I was glad that they selected me.”

Prince-Coleman said PAEA started offering these opportunities 12 years ago but until now there had not been a way to allow AU students time away from the curriculum to participate. This year for the first time, faculty agreed that if a student were selected, they would excuse them from class.

“I am also exploring ways to bring what I learned back to other students, including an advocacy workshop and opportunities to engage with professional organizations and policymakers.”

Seth French, College of Allied Health Sciences physician assistant student

PAEA is the only education association for the profession, according to Prince-Coleman. It is a source for programs to collaborate nationally, discuss challenges in PA education, address needs and work to continue to keep the profession strong.

“Partnering with PAEA, and including students in that partnership, strengthens the profession and the investment from our graduates in the educational process once they are clinicians,” she said.

French had been out of college and in the healthcare workforce for almost 10 years when he was ready to focus on a new challenge in a different healthcare field.

It was clinical exposure at Emory University Hospital Midtown that inspired him to pursue a career as a physician assistant after talking with PAs. He explored his options and chose Augusta University, citing data in helping students prepare for the board exams as well as preparing graduates for the workforce after graduation.

“The career as a physician assistant allows for a lot of flexibility and the ability to work in different fields. In talking with some of them, it appeared they had a good work-life balance. At 33, that appealed to me,” French said. “Working in medication reconciliation at Emory gave me another perspective on how communication, organizational decisions and everyday processes affect individual patients.”

In mid-September, French participated in virtual programming with PA students from across the country. They learned from policy professionals, congressional staff and experienced PA advocates about federal and state policy, professional advocacy and communicating effectively with policymakers. They also prepared for congressional meetings by learning how to connect evidence with personal experience and explain complicated issues clearly.

French also participated in a virtual Hill Day, joining another Georgia fellow in meetings with staff from three Georgia congressional offices. The discussions focused on financing PA and other health professions’ education, including the professional-degree designation and access to federal student loans.

“The staff members I met asked thoughtful questions and welcomed our perspective as students,” he said. “That made advocacy feel more accessible and gave me greater confidence to participate.”

He is currently working on an advocacy project with mentorship through PAEA.

“I am currently refining a Georgia-focused project related to PA practice policy, healthcare workforce needs and access to care,” French said. “I am also exploring ways to bring what I learned back to other students, including an advocacy workshop and opportunities to engage with professional organizations and policymakers. Those plans are still taking shape but helping other students feel more prepared to participate is an important goal.”

“Growth is critical for us all – this is a way Seth has demonstrated his commitment to that and to service to the profession he has chosen.”

Elizabeth Prince-Coleman, DMSc, PA-C

French praises AU’s Department of Physician Assistant for providing not only a solid program with fantastic faculty but also a strong foundation for good morale and working environment.

“I’m the second oldest in the class, but I feel that everyone in the class has accepted me. Between our opportunities to celebrate PAs and each other … from our study sessions to us being able to use our resource room,” French said. “I can retain information well, but I’m also a hands-on learner and we have a lot of these opportunities. Then in our clinics we take that information and go out and practice being able to apply everything we’ve learned.”

Prince-Coleman was proud and not surprised French was selected for the fellowship. She attributed his organization, dedication, maturity and intelligence. She believes this will be a great opportunity for him to engage in health policy at the national level and consider how he will incorporate that passion into his career as a PA.

“I think it is also a wonderful opportunity for his classmates to benefit from the enrichment his fellowship brings to their experience as a class and ours as a program,” said Prince-Coleman, who noted the connections and insights French will also experience. “It is a way of reminding the class of the breadth of opportunities and advocacy efforts that they may also want to explore in their journey. I am excited to have him represent us in this fellowship, and proud that he has invested so much already.”

Prince-Coleman hopes the fellowship will be a spark toward leadership for French while building on his strengths and confidence.

“Growth is critical for us all – this is a way Seth has demonstrated his commitment to that and to service to the profession he has chosen.”