Sacred Heart University Names Director Of New Medical Science Doctoral Program

FAIRFIELD, CT — Sacred Heart University has named Jason Prevelige the founding program director of its Doctor of Medical Science program,the Fairfield-based university announced.

Prevelige, a Sacred Heart graduate and educator, has more than 17 years of clinical experience and a background in physician associate education, health care advocacy and professional organizations. In his new role, he will oversee the launch of the post-professional doctoral program, including its curriculum, faculty and assessment.

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Before joining Sacred Heart full time, Prevelige served on the founding advisory committee for the university's physician associate studies program. He developed its pediatric curriculum and has taught pediatrics and emergency medicine since the program's first cohort.

Prevelige also worked with Reynold Jaglal, director of the physician associate studies program, and Eric Nemec, clinical professor and director of research, assessment and program development, on the development of the Doctor of Medical Science program.

Prevelige's clinical experience includes emergency medicine, pediatric hospital medicine, neonatology and urgent care. He has held health care leadership positions for more than a decade and most recently served as assistant medical director in emergency medicine at Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury.

He also served as president and board chair of the American Academy of Physician Associates after completing a three-year leadership succession. In Connecticut, he served two terms as president of the Connecticut Academy of Physician Associates and continues to chair its legislative committee.

"Dr. Prevelige is a visionary leader whose expertise spans academia, clinical practice, and national professional leadership," Karl Minges, dean of the College of Health Professions, said in a statement. "I am confident he will build a distinctive and innovative D.M.Sc. program that empowers physician associates to advance their careers and lead in an increasingly complex health care environment. We are excited to welcome him to Sacred Heart University and look forward to the impact he will have on our students and the profession."

The following is a Q&A session with Prevelige, where he discussed his return to Sacred Heart, and his vision for the Doctor of Medical Science program:

What attracted you to Sacred Heart University and the D.M.Sc. program?
When the Doctor of Medical Science program was proposed, I was honored to be asked and jumped at the opportunity to assist my colleagues, Drs. Reynold Jaglal and Eric Nemec, in shaping the foundation of the program. When the position of program director was open, it seemed natural for me to apply. I feel now that I have come full circle in my SHU journey and am so thrilled to once again return in such a significant capacity to SHU.

What excites you most about leading the program?
While something new and different can be scary, it can also be exciting. For me, the opportunity to develop a world-class program, built for PAs who are looking for that next step in advancing their knowledge base and career, is an incredible one. I have had a variety of experiences, including my own education, that I am bringing with me, and to take the best of those experiences and share them with others is so unique and does not happen every day!

How have your previous experiences prepared you for this role?
I have been so fortunate in my career that I have been surrounded by phenomenal leaders who have mentored, supported, and helped shape my journey. After my PA education at Quinnipiac University, I quickly became involved in our state's professional organization, the Connecticut Academy of Physician Associates. I have held a variety of roles, including two terms as president, and I continue to serve as the chair of the legislative committee. That work has provided me the opportunity to help shape health care and health care education in our state through advocacy efforts that have included authoring and amending language that later became law and working closely with our state's legislators.

That eventually led to my service to our national organization, the American Academy of Physician Associates, where I first served in the House of Delegates, which is the policy making body for the Academy, later as a director at large, and most recently was elected president and chair of the board of directors, with my term just ending June 30.

In that role I had the amazing opportunity to travel across the country and internationally where I engaged PAs, physicians, nurses, and other health care leaders. I advocated for patients and PAs at the federal level and even internationally, had the opportunity to engage the national media and do my part to shape health care in different ways.

Along the way I completed an MBA at Quinnipiac, and my own Doctor of Medical Science at University of the Pacific.

What do you hope students gain from their experience in the program?
I hope to see our students find their own areas of personal growth. My own doctoral education helped me to grow as a leader as I self-reflected, but my own education also grew my network which is where opportunities in leadership often come from. I want to help our students achieve their goals in life by enhancing their already solid foundations with new areas of focus that will allow them to provide even better patient care through a stronger ability to advocate, to lead teams, to educate the health care providers of tomorrow.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for the program?
The opportunities for this program are endless in my opinion. With our SHU Dingle campus, there is an incredible opportunity to expose our students to international models of health care to help inform their work in our system. At the same time, there is opportunity to provide our education to international PAs and carry the SHU mission further abroad. I see the ability to grow relationships, not just among classmates in the program, but between our doctoral students and our PA students so we can create bonds between our PAs of today, with our PAs of tomorrow. Through the Doctoral Capstone, our students will have the ability to make real change in their workplaces, in the literature and in health care.