Yale School of Medicine’s Physician Associate (PA) Program hosted the Class of 2021 Outstanding PA Theses Event on December 2, 2021. Attendees joined both in-person and virtually to celebrate four graduating students, each of whom was being recognized for excelling on their thesis project. The more than 80 attendees were a record number for this annual event.
Yale’s PA Program is known for its intensive research focus, which runs throughout the 28-month program. Students typically begin their thesis project in late spring of their first year, including identifying a faculty advisor from the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, or School of Public Health. These advisors also were honored at the Outstanding Theses Event, for their dedication to mentoring student research.
Below are the names of the students who presented, the titles of their theses, and the names of their advisors.
Jaime Conway
Thesis Title: Tucked In: Weighted Blankets to Improve Sleep in Intensive Care Unit Patients
Advisor: Melissa Knauert, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (Pulmonary)
Robert Johnston
Thesis Title: Healthy Aging in Rural Guangdong Province, China
Advisor: Kaveh Khoshnood, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology (Microbial Diseases)
Carina Leggio
Thesis Title: Efficacy of Rimegepant Plus Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Monoclonal Antibody for Migraine
Advisor: Emmanuelle Schindler, MD, PhD, assistant professor
Annabelle Wilcox
Thesis Title: Racial Disparities in Diabetes Distress and Technology Use in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes
Advisor: Stuart Weinzimer, MD, professor
While the thesis requirement has been longstanding, the PA Program created a new path this year, which allows PA students to work on a project collecting data geared towards publication. Johnston and Wilcox were part of the Alternative PA Thesis pilot.
Nine students participated in the Class of 2021 Outstanding PA Thesis Virtual Presentations. Their ePosters are available to view here, along with the recording of the full Outstanding PA Theses Event.