Physician Assistant Program Celebrates Class of 2023
Heart speaks to heart.
That was the message Father James Greenfield, OSFS ’84, Ed.D., president of DeSales, gave to this year’s graduating class of physician assistant students.
Students in the Class of 2023 received their white coats and certificates of completion before taking the Physician Assistant Professional Oath during a completion ceremony in the DeSales University Center on Aug. 12.
During the invocation, Fr. Greenfield noted that the ceremony fell on the feast day of St. Jane de Chantal—the day the church commemorates her life and legacy.
“Francis [de Sales] and Jane had a vision of the universe. They said it was an interconnected world of hearts. ... As you engage in the healing profession, please remember that heart speaks to heart.”
Once the white coats were handed out, Micaela Dunbar-Gaynor M’23, class president, expressed her overwhelming gratitude to family, faculty, staff, and her fellow graduates.
“The motto here at DeSales is to ‘be who you are and be that well,’” she said. “I am consistently amazed by the empathetic, intelligent, and dedicated health care professionals who sit before me today. And I am honored to call myself your peer.”
Congratulations to this year’s graduating class and the following student award winners:
- Medical Director Award: Olivia Craig ’21, M’23.
- Clinical Medicine Award: Elise Thren M’23.
- Dr. Karen Walton Award for Excellence in the Didactic Year: Caelan Shirey M’23.
- Fr. Peter Leonard, OSFS, Award for Excellence in the Clinical Year: Samantha Mull M’23.
- Self-Directed Learner Award: Ruyu Qin M’23.
- Program Director Award: Kai Taylor ’22, M’23.
