They did it! After 27 months of training and hard work, the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Master in Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2024 proudly graduated.
These 37 newly minted physician assistants are now eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam, the final step toward becoming certified PAs.
See photos from the Commencement Ceremony
Before graduation, the program held an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding CO2024 students.
See photos from the Award and Graduation Ceremony
Congratulations to all the 2024 awardees:
Capstone Awards
Gold Medal:
Emma Weimer
Joseph Sutra
Silver Medal:
Mazarine Tsuji
Bronze Medal:
Taylor Lopez
Cynthia Wakim
Honorable Mention (Certificate):
Zachary Arteaga
Hayley Balmer
Brandon Bourgeois
Valentina Gamboa
Karolina Cabrera
Sophia Diaz
Alejandra De La Rosa
Brianna Wint
Thaina Da Silva Souto Maior
Lauryn Gascon
Clinical Preceptor of the Year:
Dr. Richard Dreize and Dr. Gabriel Martinez (Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital)
Clinical Site of the Year:
Baptist Health South Florida
Eugene A. Stead Award:
Named after the founder of the nation’s first physician assistant program at Duke University in 1965.
Tany Grant
Academic Excellence Award:
This student obtained a 4.0 in both the didactic and clinical years.
Lauryn Gascon
Clerkship Awards:
Students that received the highest score in each clerkship.
- Family Medicine- Ana Karpel Moldauer (500*)
- Pediatrics- Taylor Thompson (500)
- Internal Medicine- Lauryn Gascon (500)
- Psychiatry / Behavioral Medicine- Lauryn Gascon
- Surgery- Lauryn Gascon
- Women's Health (OBGYN)- Lauryn Gascon (500)
- Emergency Medicine- Lauryn Gascon (500)
*500 is a perfect score on the exam.