Mary Showstark, BA, MPAS, FAWM, PhD, PA-C

• Chief, Physician Assistant Trauma Surgery (2004–2006)
• Director/Creator Taste of Gramercy (2012–2013)
• Director, Surfer’s Medical Association (2010–2020)
• Vice President of Physician Assistants for Global Health
• Director of New Development Physician Assistants for Global Health (2018–2020)
• Liaison to Euro-PAC (2019-Present)
• Global Ambassador to AAPA (2019-Present)
• Honorary Member of Global Association of PA/CO Association (GACOPA) (2019-Present)
  
• Communications Director International Academy of PA Educators IAPAE (2019-Present)
• Creator of International Federation of Physician Assistant/Physician Associate and Clinical Officer/Clinical Associate/Correlate Students’ Association (IFPACS) (2020-Present)
• Liaison to International PA Organization (IPAO) (2020-Present)
• Yale Institute of Global Health Affiliate Faculty Member (2020-Present)
• Welch Allyn Advisory Board Member (2018–2022)

Mary Showstark is a physician assistant (PA) who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2001 and a master’s degree in 2004 from the University of Florida. She started her career working at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital in trauma surgery and shortly after became chief PA. Showstark’s clinical experience is in trauma surgery, emergency medicine, urgent care and disaster preparedness for the federal government in numerous locations, including Los Angeles at LAC+USC, Maui, New York City and Miami Beach. Showstark has also spent many years working in event medicine and concierge services around the world from Johannesburg to Sydney with multiple cities in between. She has worked and consulted with private events and athletic organizations, including the World Surf League, Burning Man, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Tough Mudder, the Indies Trader, SEA Paddle and the New York City and Paris Marathons. Showstark is licensed by the NCCPA. She also works with the federal disaster FAST teams, previously served as one of the executive directors on the board of Surfer’s Medical Association, and was a consultant for the education board for Welch Allyn.

Showstark has worked in Haiti and Nepal, responding to natural disasters and providing medical care in rural and austere environments. She also consults in remote areas, such as Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, Marshall Islands, and the Philippines, performing medical needs assessments and helping with clinic development, setup and sustainability projects.

Showstark began working in PA education in an accredited PA program in New York City in 2012, where she served as clinical coordinator, and taught Psychosocial, Physical Diagnosis, Clinical Skills, SIM, OSCES and Lab Medicine, and was course coordinator for Emergency Medicine II. Showstark joined Yale as an instructor in the Yale Physician Assistant Online Program in 2017 and was promoted to Assistant Professor (Adjunct) in 2020. Showstark was the course director for Pharmacology I, II, III, Anatomy I, II, III, and previously Physical Assessment I, II and III. She served on the admissions, progress, and student success committees, and was an academic, CEED, and capstone advisor to incoming students. Showstark is the creator and chair of the Virtual IPE (VIPE) Committee and program which as of July 2024 hosted over 80 universities in 30 countries with an interprofessional, virtual, education experience and focuses in on breaking down silos within healthcare and across sectors dealing with complex-wicked problems and the global health security agenda.

Showstark also spearheaded virtual reality projects utilizing the Stanford Heart and Augmented Reality platform, teaching students proper hand hygiene through SureWash Go technology. She is also a member of Yale's XR in Medicine and ERIC working group. Showstark is also affiliate faculty at the Yale Institute of Global Health. She was the leader of the Global Health Student Interest Group which collaborates with PAs for Global Health; and Showstark was the faculty lead for the Wilderness Student Interest Group, which created Wild Med Wednesday, a speaker series in collaboration with the Wilderness Medical Society.

Showstark is involved in growing the healthcare workforce for the profession globally. She is a global ambassador to AAPA, communications lead for International Association of PA Educators, and consults with the World Health Organization on the Global Framework for Universal Healthcare. She is also the creator of the International Federation of Physician Assistant/Physician Associate and Clinical Officer/Clinical Associate/Comparable Students’ Association (IFPACS) and PAs for Climate Action, a Special Interest Group with the AAPA. In addition to her PA work, Showstark is certified in massage therapy, yoga, and security. She is also a current member of PAEA, AAPA, and Interprofessional.Global.

In her free time, Showstark enjoys traveling and has explored more than 100 countries on all seven continents.