Now in its sixth year, the PALLA Faculty Fellowship is a unique opportunity for practicing PAs to engage in a 10-month, structured, professional development training program using active-learning experiences and case-based design to develop the essential skills needed by a PA faculty member in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service.
PALLA's vision is to create an inclusive learning community dedicated to excellence in PA education. We aim to build faculty capacity within Maryland to educate the next generation of PA students while advancing PA research and policy. We collaborate with the Maryland System PA programs, including Frostburg State University, Towson University, University of Maryland Baltimore, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Fellows will participate in virtual seminars, workshops and individual-group mentorship delivered by an interprofessional team of educators/scholars, exploring important topic areas such as adult learning theories, curricular design and development, instructional strategies, learning assessments, best practices in simulation, PA program accreditation, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and academic leadership within PA education.
PALLA is centrally located at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). UMB is the founding campus of the University System of Maryland and serves as Maryland’s public health, law, and human services university. UMB is uniquely positioned to apply principles of innovation and entrepreneurship to advance health and social equality.
Fellowship Terms and Structure
Beginning in September, 2024, fellows will participate in required virtual activities on Thursdays from 3pm-5pm. Fellows will also work independently and with their mentors on various assigned projects. For the 2024-2025 academic year, there is the opportunity for up to 6 academic fellows to earn a scholarship in the amount of $20,000, to offset clinical practice time, and use towards conference travel and other expenses. Fellows will earn up to 32 hours of category 1 CME for completion of all fellowship requirements. While the University of Maryland System institutions are not obligated to offer any Fellow a faculty appointment upon completion of their fellowship, the Fellowship program is intended as a step toward a Fellow’s development as a potential faculty member within the system or another institution of higher education.
Objectives
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Encourage and promote educational excellence, leadership and diversity in the pool of faculty for Maryland Physician Assistant Programs.
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Introduce community clinicians who are considering faculty careers to the Physician Assistant academic community.
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Enhance opportunities for academic careers for persons from diverse backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to educating the next generation of Physician Assistants.
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Prepare Faculty Fellows for possible tenure-track or non-tenure track appointments at one of the PA programs in Maryland.
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Enhance the academic environment of Physician Assistant education in Maryland by providing opportunities for students and faculty to gain experience in multi-cultural, broadly diverse and inclusive work settings and scholarly collaborations that improve the capacity of all their members.
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