Hospitals are evolving.
Patients are expecting more.
Emerging technology is rewriting the playbook.
The Physician Assistant (PA) program in Lawrence Technological University’s College of Health Sciences is helping write what comes next.
With a number of new faculty, the PA program is a forward-leaning training ground for the next generation of modern clinician-leaders. These professionals are prepared to treat patients, navigate complexity, embrace technology, and deliver compassionatecare in a world that demands more from medicine every year.
“Medicine is evolving faster than ever. Our responsibility isn’t simply to keep pace—it’s to graduate clinicians who elevate the standard of care wherever they practice,” said Janelle Elias, MS, PA-C, PA program director and department chair. “We’re developing professionals who think critically, lead confidently, and care with purpose.”
Focused on Student Success and Real-World Care
The strengthened faculty team includes Basil Abdo, MD, medical director; Bindiya Nandwana, MS, PA-C, associate program director and director of clinical education; Amber Murphy, MSSC, PA-C, director of didactic education; Blake Geschke, MPAS, PA-C, director of PA admissions; Yiping Maggie Zeng-Wang, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, director of scholarship, outreach and remediation; and Elizabeth Lester Medado, DMSc, PA-C, director of data and assessments.
Together, they bring academic strength, clinical expertise, and a clear commitment to a mission rooted in excellence and empathy: training exceptional, compassionate healthcare professionals in a supportive academic and clinical environment.
At LTU, PA students are prepared to deliver holistic, patient-centered care across the healthcare continuum, grounded in evidence-based medical practice, fueled by collaboration and shaped by real-world application. The program also places strong emphasis on serving underserved populations, ensuring graduates understand healthcare not just as a career, but as a responsibility.
“We’re not here to produce students who simply memorize information,” Elias said. “We’re here to cultivate lifelong learners, fearless patient advocates, and adaptable leaders who will make an impact wherever they go.”
The program’s vision is built around innovation and two guiding principles: connecting theory to practice and ensuring students can seamlessly integrate evolving healthcare technologies into clinical decision-making.
In other words, the program is designed for what medicine is becoming, not what it used to be.
“Healthcare technology is no longer optional,” Elias said. “It shapes the patient experience. It informs clinical judgment. It defines the future of our profession. Our graduates need to be fluent in it from day one.”
With a faculty team designed to support students from admissions through graduation, LTU’s PA program is positioning itself as a modern, mission-driven model for PA education, one built on rigor, relevance, and results.
And the message is clear: the future of healthcare will need more than clinicians.
It will need leaders.
Learn more about the LTU PA program.
By: Ted Coutilish
