Linda Chlapaty Hall Dedication Ceremony
Sep 15, 2016
--- Watch the building dedication LIVE online! ---
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque will hold a dedication ceremony for Linda Chlapaty Hall, home to the new Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Program, at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 16, 2016. Linda Chlapaty Hall is located at the corners of University and Auburn streets, adjacent to the University Science Center.
The event is free and open to the public. Building tours will begin at 3:00 p.m. and a dedication ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m.
Linda Chlapaty Hall was designed to provide physician assistant students with state-of-the-art equipment in a collaborative learning environment. The 9,100-square-foot, two-story addition to the University Science Center includes two classrooms, an anatomy lab, a clinical lab with nine examination stations, six medical examination rooms, group study spaces, and offices.
“The addition of the Physician Assistant Master's degree at the University of Dubuque is another significant mile marker, both in strengthening the overall academic program and the development of a health sciences center in Eastern Iowa,” said Board Chair Joe Chlapaty. “Linda and I are so pleased to invest in this advancement by supporting the construction of the building that houses the Physician Assistant program, part of the University Science Center. In naming this facility Linda Chlapaty Hall, the University honors Linda’s volunteer work, on a number of fronts, that have helped so many in our hometown of Columbus, Ohio.”
The inaugural Physician Assistant (PA) program class of 25 students started classes in August. More than 500 people applied for the rigorous program that is 27 months, beginning with 15 months of academic coursework followed by 12 months of clinical rotations at hospitals and clinics within a 50 mile radius of Dubuque. The first cohort of students will graduate December 2018, and they will be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam.
Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed and credentialed to practice medicine with physician supervision. They perform physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, assist in surgery, and more in a variety of settings such as clinics, emergency rooms, and hospitals.
U.S. News & World Report’s “100 Best Jobs of 2016” lists physician assistant as one of the Top 10 jobs in America, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 30 percent job growth rate for the profession from 2014 to 2024.
