NCAPA

North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants

The Trailblazer Scholarship

The Trailblazer Scholarship

The NCAPA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee established the Trailblazer Scholarship in 2022 to support Black/African American PA students during their second year of PA school. The DE&I committee reviewed research and statistics around health disparities and gaps in representation and established this $1,000 scholarship in an effort to address these needs. The Trailblazer Scholarship is for North Carolina PA students in their second year of PA school who self-identify as Black/African American.

The scoring criteria for the scholarship are as follows:

  • Demonstrated plans to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the future
    • Plans to diversify the profession
    • Plans to improve healthcare disparities
  • Applicant’s financial need (self-reported)
  • Applicant’s contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, either past or current
  • Statement from the PA program that the student is in good academic standing
  • Students who identify as Black/African American

2023 Trailblazer Scholarship Application

  • Eligibility Requirements

    1. You must be enrolled in an NC PA program and identify as African American or Black. 2. You must be entering or enrolled in your clinical year as of August, 2023. 3. Applications must be received by June 27, 2023.

  • 1. Name and Address

  • Please check yes or no

  • 3. Questions

  • For more information, please contact Caroline Purdy at caroline.purdy@ncapa.org or call 919.479.1995

Donations to support the Trailblazer Scholarship

Funds for the Trailblazer Scholarship were made possible by generous donations from members of the NCAPA DEI Committee. If you are interested in donating to support the scholarship, donations can only be made via check at this time. Please make check payable to “NCAPA Endowment” and mail to:

NCAPA Endowment
c/o NCAPA
1121 Slater Road
Durham, NC 27703.

Please include in the memo line “Trailblazer Scholarship.” These donations are tax deductible, and all donors will receive an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes. If you have any questions, please contact Emily Adams Emily.adams@ncapa.org.

2022 Trailblazer Scholarship Winner:
Angela McIver, PA-S
Duke University PA Program Class of 2023

A member of Duke University PA Program’s Class of 2023, Angela is a first-generation American citizen who is intimately familiar with the struggles faced by marginalized populations in the US. As an undergraduate student Angela worked at an underinsured pediatric clinic in her home state of Florida- a clinic where she received care as a child. Angela now spends much of her time engaged with Project Access- an outreach recruitment program that works to encourage high school students from underrepresented minoritized groups to consider the PA profession as a career. As a practicing PA, Angela plans to work to foster cultural competency in the African American community by understanding the background of her patients and emphasizing that healthcare does not begin or end when patients walk through clinic doors. Congratulations to Angela on this well-deserved achievement! 

Top photo credit: PA History Society