PA and OT departments host graduations

By Kate Hunger

The Departments of Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant Studies held their graduation ceremonies on Dec. 13.

The Occupational Therapy master’s students represented the final class of MOT students to graduate from the Department of Occupational Therapy, which has transitioned from a master’s program to a doctoral program. The ceremony represented a “culmination and a close to our MOT program,” said Associate Professor and Department Chair Bridgette Piernik-Yoder, Ph.D., OTR.

“They are a wonderful class,” she said. “They will be incredibly successful.”

Of the 45 Physician Assistant Studies students who graduated, 43 walked the stage, said Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator Tiffani Burgin, MPAS, PA-C.
Six of the PA graduates will be participating in fellowships across the country.

The graduation speaker was inspirational and delivered a message that was inclusive of both professions, Burgin said.