Why Choose Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) Foundational Pathway

Jenna Rolfs, DMSc, MBA, PA-C, DFAAPA

Dean & Founding Program Director, Physician Associate Program (Developing Program), Arkansas Colleges of Health Education

Building the Faculty and Leadership Pipeline

The ACHE DMSc Foundational Pathway addresses a pressing need within PA administration, education and beyond.  The development of future faculty and academic leaders. As PA leadership opportunities expand nationally within various domains to include healthcare systems, industry, and education, the demand for leaders who have been formally prepared for these roles continues to rise. A doctoral-level foundation strengthens the academic pipeline by preparing PAs for roles in hospital leadership, industry, curriculum development, program administration, accreditation leadership, and scholarly contribution.

By investing in doctoral preparation, ACHE is investing in the sustainability of PA education itself.

Finding Your Value.  Finding Your “why”.

The Foundational Pathway was designed with multiple stakeholders in mind.

For practicing PAs, it offers the opportunity to advance careers without stepping away from the bedside. It recognizes that many PAs are already functioning as leaders and deserve the academic foundation to support and formalize that growth.

For health systems and employers, doctorly prepared PAs bring enhanced capacity for quality improvement, operational performance, strategic thinking, and patient safety initiatives. The degree supports measurable organizational impact.

For PA educators, the DMSc builds the anticipated faculty pipeline the profession will need, strengthening academic leadership and scholarship.

For students and early-career PAs, it signals that leadership, systems thinking, and policy fluency are no longer optional add-ons but essential competencies in modern healthcare.

The Strategic Narrative

The DMSc Foundational Pathway at ACHE is best understood not as a luxury credential or niche specialization but created as a solution for the profession’s next developmental step. Healthcare systems demand leadership, data literacy, and systems-level thinking. The profession must respond with academic infrastructure that prepares PAs to thrive in that environment.

ACHE developed the DMSc Foundational Pathway because the future of the PA profession requires clinicians who can lead with confidence, practice with depth, and influence healthcare in and beyond the bedside. It is the doctorate that provides a structured, evidence-based framework for advanced practice and leadership.

When PAs are equipped with doctoral-level preparation grounded in leadership, systems thinking, and clinical excellence, the entire profession, our patients, and our health systems win.