Biography
Melinda Blazar has clinical experience in family medicine and maternal-child health. She has over 15 years of physician assistant (PA) education experience with expertise in clinical education, program administration, assessment and evaluation. Blazar has supported Health Resources and Services Administration grants in PA and interprofessional education, educational research project and has presented PA educational scholarship at the national level. Her academic interest includes student assessment and competency-based education.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Biology, Colgate University
- Master of Health Science in Physician Assistant Program, Duke University
- Doctor of Education in Health Professions, A.T. Still University
Publications
- “Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Perfectionism in Physician Assistant Students: Implications for Wellness Curricula.”
- “Design and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Preceptor Development Mini-Fellowship Program.”
- “Creation of an asynchronous faculty development curriculum on well-written narrative assessments that avoid bias.”
Professional Organization Appointments
- 2015-2019, Director at Large, Association for Physician Assistants in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2015-2019)
- Chair, PACRKAT® Exam Development Board, Physician Assistant Education Association (2017-2023)
- Assessment Editor-in-Chief, Physician Assistant Education Association (2024- present)
Certificates
- The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (2007- present)
- North Carolina Medical Licensure (2007- present)
- Certified Centering Facilitator
