Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Medical Education Receives National Appointment

Dr. Victoria Kaprielian, Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants
Victoria Kaprielian, MD FAAFP, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Medical Education, was named Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants in November 2014 and began her term of service as Chair in January 2015.
The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is dedicated to serving the interest of the public with a passionate belief that certified physician assistants are essential members of the health care delivery team who provide millions access to more affordable, high quality health care.  The PA profession is based on an integral partnership between physicians and PAs; physicians have been included on the Board from NCCPA’s creation in the 1970’s.  As Chair, Dr. Kaprielian has led quarterly meetings – the last one of 2015 will be held in November in Atlanta – and presented in June at the American Medical Association Congress of Delegates conference in Chicago regarding the education and assessment of PAs.
The Board’s current initiatives include development of Certificates of Added Qualifications for PAs in a number of specialty areas and creation of Certification Maintenance processes for PAs analogous to those in place for physicians.
“These initiatives are all part of our mission to provide certification programs that reflect standards for clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and other medical skills and professional behaviors required throughout the careers of physician assistants,” said Kaprielian.
Dr. Kaprielian is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.  She is a longstanding member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer, and a former STFM/American Council on Education Marian Bishop Fellow.