Buies Creek, N.C.-Campbell University’s Physician Assistant (PA) program, set to launch in 2011, has received a $100,000 grant from The Cannon Foundation, Inc. to be used toward the construction of a new facility.
Under the leadership of Dr. Ron Maddox, founding dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the Physician Assistant program was developed to meet the growing need for cost-effective, accessible healthcare to a rapidly expanding population. With fewer medical students pursuing careers in internal medicine, the program will help fill the gap created by a shortage of primary care physicians. The American Academy of Family Physicians anticipates nearly all 50 states will have a shortage of primary care physicians by the year 2020.
The new facility will be constructed in the Pharmacy and Health Sciences Quad on the main campus. This location will promote collaboration between the PA program, the pharmacy program and other science disciplines located on campus. The building, which is currently in the programming and design phase, will contain 13,000 square feet with specialized laboratory spaces, classroom and office space and breakout rooms. Construction is expected to begin this spring with an anticipated completion prior to the start of classes for the first group of PA students during the summer of 2011.
Campbell University is the sixth school in North Carolina to offer the Physician Assistant program. There are only 148 other PA programs in the U.S.
“The presence of this facility will enhance patient care skills training for pharmacy students and foster interdisciplinary teamwork between all students in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences,” Maddox said.
The Cannon Foundation, Inc., located in Concord, North Carolina, was established in 1943 by Charles A. Cannon. The Foundation’s support and generosity have been instrumental in Campbell University’s growth and development during the last four decades.