SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 8, 2020 — Kathleen Flach has been selected as the founding director of Drury University’s physician assistant program, which is set to launch in fall 2023. She begins her duties on June 15 and will spend the next two years leading the design and implementation of Drury’s first health-related master’s degree.
Flach is a nationally certified physician assistant who has a decade of academic experience in PA studies as well as 14 years as a health care provider. She was the founding academic director of the PA program at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where her duties included design and implementation of curriculum, hiring adjunct faculty, and directorship of courses in clinical and behavioral medicine, clinical laboratory medicine, and physical diagnosis and assessment. Prior to helping found USF’s program, she was a faculty member at South University in Tampa and was a preceptor for that program before joining the faculty.
“Drury is fortunate to have a founding program director who has extensive experience in both PA education and medical practice,” says Provost Dr. Beth Harville. “This expertise coupled with Kathleen’s liberal arts background will ensure the Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies will be a high-quality program infused with the Drury difference.”
“I am very honored to be selected as Drury University’s founding program director for the PA program,” says Flach. “The University’s excitement for the program, and the innovation currently happening at Drury, provides an exceptional opportunity to create a student-centered program infused with resources already present on campus.”
Flach’s experience as a physician assistant includes clinical work in both adult and pediatric emergency care, family practice, geriatrics and psychiatry. She provided emergency care in more than 120,000 ED visits, managed acute and chronic illnesses in family practice and helped patients manage a variety of mental health issues. Flach has been active in improving access to medical care in medically underserved populations. She served in the National Health Service Corps and was a founding participant in establishing a medical clinic in Rang, Haiti, where she continues to train and support the medical personnel.
“I look forward to utilizing my clinical knowledge and prior experience establishing a PA program to provide outstanding PA clinicians for the southwest Missouri region,” Flach says.
Flach earned her bachelor’s degree in English the Ohio State University and went on to earn an M.Ed. in health promotion and education from Vanderbilt University. She earned a master’s in medical science in physician assistant studies in 2006 from Nova Southeastern University.
About Drury’s PA program
Drury University will launch a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in fall 2023. The program is a key aspect of Drury’s intent to bolster its long tradition of serving the Ozarks and Midwest by educating future leaders in the health care field.
Physician assistants are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications and often serve as a patient’s principal health care provider. With thousands of hours of medical training, PAs are versatile and collaborative. They practice in every state and in every medical setting and specialty, improving health care access and quality.
The MS-PAS program builds on Drury’s rigorous and highly respected undergraduate pre-health sciences programs, which have laid the foundation for thousands of successful careers in medicine and other health professions over the years. It will be designed as a 27-month program that combines both didactic and clinical phases. Graduates of accredited programs are recognized for licensure in all 50 states.
Seeking preceptors
Drury’s MS-PAS program is also seeking partners among trusted members of the local health community to prepare the next generation of PAs. If you are interested in becoming a preceptor, please contact Dr. Beth Harville at bharville@drury.edu.
For more information about the upcoming program, visit: www.drury.edu/pa
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Media Contact: Mike Brothers, Executive Director of University Relations – (417) 873-7390 or mikebrothers@drury.edu.
