ATLANTA — Lindsay Watters, a member of the first class of Mercer physician assistants, has earned a coveted spot in the postgraduate surgical residency program for physician assistants at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. The hospital has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for 19 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. After completion of her Master of Medical Science degree at Mercer this year, Watters was accepted into one of five post-graduate positions in the program, which selects from a national pool of applicants.
“They only take the very best of the best,” said Bradford W. Schwarz, M.S., PA-C, director of Mercer’s physician assistant program in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “It’s quite amazing that a Mercer student was accepted given the fact that this was our first graduating class. I think this speaks directly to the reputation of the university and, hopefully, to the leadership and mission of our program. Lindsay is an exceptional woman and alumna who will do very well anywhere she goes.”
During her tenure with the Johns Hopkins Postgraduate Surgical Residency for Physician Assistants, Watters will train for a wide variety of surgical specialties in academic and private settings.
In addition to completing her physician assistant studies, the Shannon, Ga.-native served as representative to the Assembly of Representatives, representative to the House of Delegates, and junior director of external affairs for the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. As part of her work with the Student Academy she attended the national meeting of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, as well as attended conferences for other health care professions and health care profession student organizations, educating them about the physician assistant’s role within the health care team.
“Mercer’s Physician Assistant Program has given me the tools necessary to not only become a physician assistant, but to become an excellent one,” Watters said. “I am honored and humbled to have been chosen for the inaugural class of students for Mercer’s PA program, because my presence in this program has not only instilled in me the knowledge to be a great health care provider, but the passion, compassion and generosity necessary to make a difference for my patients, and my career.
“The faculty and staff at Mercer continuously inspired me to push the limits and think outside the box, qualities that I know will benefit me greatly in the future,” she said. “Without my training and growth during my tenure at Mercer, I would not have had the skills or the confidence to pursue such a prestigious residency position, and I am forever grateful to the Mercer PA program for challenging me to always strive for more. I look forward to beginning the Johns Hopkins residency this fall, and will take the knowledge and ideals Mercer afforded me on this journey to Baltimore.”
About the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Mercer University
Founded in 1903, the independent Southern School of Pharmacy merged with Mercer University in 1959. It became the first school in the Southeast to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree as its sole professional degree in 1981. In addition to the Doctor of Pharmacy, the college has one of the largest concentrations of Ph.D. students in pharmaceutics among colleges of pharmacy in the United States. In 2008, the college introduced a Physician Assistant program and will offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in the fall 2010.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,000 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah and at three regional academic centers across the state. Mercer is affiliated with two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. The University operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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