University of the Pacific’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies program is receiving $200,000 from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to provide scholarships for students from underserved areas with the aim of increasing the health care workforce in these areas.

“We are grateful for the support from The William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Hearst Foundations’ Executive Director Dino Dinovitz,” said Pacific President Christopher Callahan, who previously served as chair of the Hearst Awards Steering Committee. “The foundation’s generosity has helped so many of our programs and initiatives. This grant will allow our students to focus on their academics as they train to become health care providers, filling an urgent need in the community.”

The Hearst Foundation has a history of supporting Pacific and its programs since 1968.

“We are proud to partner with leading institutions like University of the Pacific to help ensure people of all backgrounds have an opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspired lives,” Dinovitz said. “The Foundations are pleased to provide scholarships for students in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program to address the shortage of health care professionals in California."  

California’s Central Valley, with a focus on San Joaquin County and neighboring counties, will be the priority area for recruiting from and returning graduates for added service, said Nicoleta Bugnariu, founding dean of Pacific’s School of Health Sciences.

“Physician assistants are well positioned to work as primary care providers,”  Bugnariu said. “The Central Valley is one of the most underserved health care areas in California, and it is a geographic target area for the School of Health Sciences.”

U.S. News and World Report ranks physician assistant as No. 2 in a report of the best health care jobs. Employment growth for physician assistants is expected to increase more than 28% between 2023 and 2033, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Physician assistants work in a variety of health care settings, from outpatient care to operating rooms.

Pacific opened a new building for the physician assistant program on the Sacramento Campus earlier this year.

Physician assistant students have 15 months of classroom work and 12 months of clinical rotations. Professor and Program Director Tracey DelNero said there were 2,400 applicants vying for 75 spots for the spring 2025 cohort.

“Our alumni are poised to provide care across all medical and surgical specialties and receive advanced procedural skills training,” DelNero said. “We recruit and train students in California’s Central Valley. Nearly 50% of the alumni remaining in California provide care in these same medically underserved areas.”

The Hearst Foundation also has provided student scholarships and supported COVID pandemic relief, pediatric oral health care and much more at Pacific over the years.