There’s No Limit to the Possibilities for PA Doctoral Graduates

The job of a physician assistant/associate (PA) is demanding and fast-paced but at the same time, extremely satisfying. It is also a launching pad for even greater career advancement.

Bridging Clinical Expertise With Strategic Education

Photograph of a smiling woman with long, curly brown hair wearing a dark blue top against a solid peach background. The portrait highlights her friendly expression and natural hairstyle. — Pitt alumna Kelly Nicholas (DPAS ’23)

For 16 years, Kelly Nicholas (DPAS ’23) took pride in the medical, surgical and aesthetic care she provided patients as a PA in the plastic and reconstructive surgery and dermatology practices at UPMC where she worked. She also trained future providers as an adjunct faculty member in the Physician Assistant Studies program at the University of Pittsburgh. But she was up for a new challenge.

The Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) replaced the Doctor of Physician Assistant Studies (DPAS) in 2024. Like its predecessor, it is a totally online post-professional program that opens doors to new professional opportunities.

With her doctoral degree in hand, Nicholas was able to move into the role of a medical science liaison in breast aesthetics that allowed her to put her extensive clinical knowledge to work, supporting surgeon education and creating a scientific exchange around innovative implantable technologies and clinical data.

Photograph of a smiling woman with long dark hair and black glasses against a solid light orange background. The image focuses on her face and shoulders, highlighting a friendly and approachable expression. — Mary Allias, DMSc program director and associate professor

Associate Professor Mary Allias, director of the DMSc program, says the three-term doctoral program is designed to broaden the non-clinical skill set of practicing professionals. “We focus on health care quality improvement processes and practice-based learning.”

“A job-integrated internship completed in the student’s current place of practice, along with a scholarly practice capstone project make this degree meaningful and impactful so our graduates are ready to lead change and make improvements in health care,” Allias continues.

Nicholas says her capstone, which delved into the role of wellness in reducing health care worker burnout, greatly improved her project management skills.

“I learned how to manage time constraints and timelines, how to work with different stakeholders and get their buy-ins,” she adds.

The degree also allowed Nicholas to accept a new position in the corporate world, as an advanced practice provider (APP) learning execution manager in dermatology at Johnson & Johnson where she helps translate complex immunodermatology science into clear, actionable learning strategies for the psoriatic team.

Her role bridges clinical expertise with strategic education—designing and executing impactful programs that enhance confidence in disease management, therapeutic decision-making and patient outcomes across the dermatology portfolio.

“I’m still very much using skills I learned in the doctorate program, just in a different role,” says Nicholas.

Capstone Leads to Improved Patient Care

Photograph of three medical professionals in an operating room wearing blue surgical gowns, masks, and protective eyewear, preparing for or performing a surgical procedure. The scene includes surgical equipment covered in sterile plastic and overhead surgical lights, highlighting a sterile environment focused on patient care. — Hollie Rudolph assists in a robotic esophagectomy.

Hollie Rudolph (DMSc ’25), an APP for a thoracic surgery team at ChristianaCare Hospital in Newark, Delaware, said the lead surgeon in her practice group encouraged her to earn her doctorate.

“Advanced degrees are valued here,” says Rudolph. “And I felt I wanted to enhance my leadership skills. The DMSc program showed me how I can do more for my team.”

Rudolph’s capstone focused on increasing lung cancer screenings among high-risk demographics.

“Lung cancer typically doesn’t have any symptoms until it’s in an advanced stage,” she explains. “Yet it remains the deadliest cancer in the United States, with a higher annual mortality rate than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.”

Photograph of five healthcare workers standing behind a ChristianaCare Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute information table promoting lung cancer awareness. Table displays brochures, flyers, pens, and signage with lung health graphics and educational messages, set in a bright indoor space with plants and windows. — Hollie Rudolph, second from right, with her team at a lung screening event.

During her DMSc training, Rudolph developed a training program that is still in use today. It helps caregivers, including nurses and primary care providers, to better identify patients who qualified for low-dose CT screenings.

Rudolph says screenings at the hospital have increased from three per month to around 26. “Although the numbers look small, this is a 760% increase in monthly screenings,” Rudolph continues.

“Whenever we increase the number of screenings, we can improve the outcomes for patients who have early stage lung cancer.”

DMSc Degree Leads to Tenure Track

Photograph of a smiling middle-aged woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a black blazer over a patterned blouse and a circular pendant necklace. The background is solid light orange, highlighting the professional and approachable demeanor of the subject. — Pitt alumna Stephane P. VanderMeulen (DMSc ’24)

Allias notes that the DMSc degree is a highly personalized one. Students are invited to select from three electives—administrative, academic and digital health fundamentals—that coincide with their specific area of interest.

Stephane P. VanderMeulen (DMSc ’24) followed the academic track. As a PA educator for more than 20 years and the chair, Department of Health Professions at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb., VanderMeulen understands the importance of keeping up with the latest trends and best practices in her field. She is also aware that to become tenured at Creighton, she needed a doctoral degree.

The DMSc degree positioned her to achieve both of those goals.

“As a leader, we have to be constantly evaluating our students and our program,” says VanderMeulen. “I was searching for a tangible skill set that would help me with this task.”

According to VanderMeulen, the quality improvement aspect of Pitt’s DMSc program was exactly what she was looking for. “The curriculum is top-notch and I definitely appreciated the online delivery of the program.”

VanderMeulen’s capstone experience centered around peer feedback: teaching students how to deliver better feedback to one another and understanding the value of giving and receiving feedback.

Down the road, she hopes to advance her career in university administration, where she can apply even more of the knowledge she gained through the DMSc program. “Having a formal framework for developing a quality improvement process is helpful in your day-to-day work—no matter what field you’re in,” explains VanderMeulen.

Allias agrees. She adds, “Every student has a unique goal in mind, and this degree can put them on the path to achieving it.”

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