The director of Concordia University Wisconsin’s Physician Assistant program has been named the Wisconsin Physician Assistant of the Year.
Last week, Jacqueline Kazik, MA, PA-C, was announced as the winner of the Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants (WAPA) award, which annually honors a Wisconsin PA who demonstrates excellence in the field.
WAPA considers an individual’s service to patients, involvement in their community, efforts to promote awareness of the PA’s role in health care, efforts to bolster workforce development by participating in education of future PAs, and an individual’s support of Wisconsin PAs through WAPA membership.
“It was a huge honor to be nominated and selected by my peers,” Kazik says. “Serving as a physician assistant has been a truly rewarding vocation.”
Kazik began working at Concordia as an adjunct instructor in 2013, and was promoted to PA program director in July. Prior to Concordia, she held faculty positions at a handful of universities, most recently at UW-Madison.
In addition to her current role at CUW, she works as a PA at Waukesha Employee Health & Wellness Clinic managing chronic illness, acute illness, prevention and occupational screening and injury management. She has nearly three decades of clinical experience under her belt, having served in a number of Wisconsin-based hospitals and clinics throughout her professional career.
Concordia’s PA program is a master’s program that prepares students to become competent PAs who provide high-quality health care in a respectful, culturally sensitive, caring and knowledgeable manner. The program is a 26-month, full-time curriculum that educates students in primary care, preventative medicine and health literacy.
The university is in the process of renovating a space in the School of Health Professions for a new skills lab. The lab will serve as a devoted space for students in the PA, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy programs to practice their clinical skills. It is expected to be fully completed next fall.
To learn more about Concorida’s PA program, click here.
— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.
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