Dr. Jennifer Eames Joins HSU as Physician Assistant Program Director

Prior to her faculty appointment in October 2015, Eames served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Eames has worked in the specialties of gastroenterology, family medicine, and clinical virology during her more than 13 years as a certified Physician Assistant.

She received a Doctor of Health Science from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska; and a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.  

Eames cited her rural upbringing in Giddings as a driver in her mission to bring medical services to rural populations and one of the reasons the developing HSU PA program will have a mandatory community service element.

Both Texas and the Big Country area are presently underserved in PA programs, according to Eames. She said there are nearly 200 PA programs in the US and only eight of them are in Texas. Regionally, there are none for 150 miles around Abilene.

“Hardin-Simmons has committed to building an outstanding program and filling a great need for our state’s future,” she said. 

The PA career is in high demand, exemplified by its naming by the Glassdoor employment website as the top job of 2015. Advantages include high salaries, flexibility, and strong demand.

She mentioned several unique features of HSU’s developing PA program, including its small class size and high faculty to student ratio, its Christian focus, its community service element, its private cadaver lab, and its locale in the Big Country.

Hardin-Simmons University has applied for provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). A site visit for the developing program is planned for Fall 2016 with the hopes of achieving approval to enroll students in Fall 2017. 

Eames said securing clinical partners remains high on her program to-do list. While her team has developed a number of clinical relationships, she is looking forward to building additional partnerships in the region. 

“The Hardin-Simmons and Abilene communities have been overwhelmingly supportive of my new role,” she said. “I could not have asked for a warmer welcome.”