CEO Perspective: Defining Deliverables, Driving Innovation, and Expanding PA Leadership
- angelurielraziel
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Author: Peter Yen, DMSc, MSHA, PA-C, LSSGB, ACHE
Introduction
As Chief Executive Officer of the Academy of Doctoral PAs (ADPA), working with the
President, we are committed to ensuring that our profession does not simply adapt to
change but leads it.
Doctoral-trained Physician Associates (PAs) represent the future of healthcare leadership,
innovation, and transformation.
The responsibility before us is to define clear deliverables that advance our profession,
accelerate individual growth, and secure our role in shaping the future of healthcare
systems at every level.
This is not optional, it is essential. The time for recognition alone has passed; the time for
impact has arrived.
Mission and Vision
ADPA exists with a precise mission: to ensure that the PA profession remains competitive,
relevant, and indispensable in the healthcare industry.
Our vision expands this mission into action:
Collaborate with academic institutions, health systems, and industry leaders to
validate and strengthen the role of doctoral-trained PAs.
Educate healthcare executives and policy leaders on the appropriate deployment of
PAs across all domains of healthcare.
Advocate for legislation that ensures PAs are utilized efficiently, effectively, and at the
top of their training.
These are not aspirations, they are directives for execution and measurable outcomes.
Deliverables with Impact
ADPA’s success will be defined by tangible results, not abstract ideals. Our deliverables
include:
Innovation Platforms: Establish thought-leadership forums, research collaborations,
and industry partnerships where doctoral PAs set the standard for innovation.
Professional Growth Pathways: Deliver structured mentorship, career advancement
opportunities, and executive leadership development for members.
Evidence-Based Outcomes: Produce data-driven research validating the impact of
doctoral-trained PAs on access, safety, and quality of care.
Policy and Administrative Leadership: Position doctoral-trained PAs as decision-
makers at the highest levels of healthcare administration.
These deliverables must be tracked, reported, and tied to the growth of our profession’s
influence.
Healthcare Administration and Leadership
Doctoral-trained PAs must move beyond traditional roles and take their place in executive
leadership.
We are uniquely equipped to direct hospital service lines, oversee quality and safety
programs, manage system operations, and shape healthcare strategy at scale.
Doctoral PAs should not be observers in the boardroom; they must be leaders.
We are preparing our members for roles as Chief Clinical Officers, Vice Presidents of
Operations, Service Line Directors, and academic deans.
This is the level of influence required to safeguard the future of the PA profession within
healthcare systems worldwide.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Innovation must define the next era of the PA profession.
Doctoral PAs will lead advancements in digital health, clinical research, and care delivery
redesign.
Equally, we must foster entrepreneurship, encouraging PAs to launch healthcare ventures,
develop novel business models, and create private-sector solutions to expand access to care.
Entrepreneurship is leadership in action, extending our influence beyond hospitals and
clinics into the broader healthcare economy.
Through innovation and entrepreneurship, doctoral PAs will establish themselves as
architects of change, not just participants in it.
Professional Development
ADPA’s mandate is to create opportunities for every doctoral-trained and aspiring doctoral
PA to reach their full potential.
This means providing resources for academic advancement, administrative leadership,
clinical excellence, and entrepreneurial ventures.
Professional development is not an option; it is the backbone of sustained growth for both
the individual and the profession.
Our members must not only grow personally but collectively elevate the visibility and
credibility of PAs in the healthcare workforce.
CEO Call to Action
The directive is clear.
We must define deliverables that advance measurable outcomes.
We must demand accountability in every initiative and partnership.
We must drive innovation in care delivery, policy, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
We must develop leaders who are prepared to influence healthcare at every level.
This is my charge as CEO: to ensure that ADPA is not simply an organization, but a
movement—one that redefines the role of doctoral-trained PAs and secures their place as
leaders in the future of healthcare.
Our members must rise to this challenge. The path forward requires resolve, unity, and
execution.
The future of the PA profession depends on it.
References
Academy of Doctoral PAs. (2024). Mission and Vision. Retrieved from
Klein, A., et al. (2024). Physician Assistants/Associates With Doctoral Degrees: Roles in
Leadership and Administration. Journal of PA Education, 35(3), 145-152.
Martin, A. E. R. (2025). Physician Assistant Doctoral Education: Implications for
Leadership and Innovation. BMC Medical Education, 25(66).
American Academy of PAs. (2023). The evolving role of physician associates. Retrieved
from https://www.aapa.org