Congratulations go out to Shelley Irving, MSPAS, PA-C, assistant professor and Morehead Campus Site Director, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, for winning the PA Foundation's William H. Marquardt Community Health Access Fellowship.

The William H. Marquardt Community Health Access Fellowship was established by long-standing PA Foundation supporter and volunteer leader William “Bill” Marquardt. It aims to benefit PAs serving in mentoring and/or precepting roles who are dedicated to promoting accessible primary and preventive healthcare amongst underserved populations. 

"Shelley was selected as a recipient of this fellowship by a review committee comprised of your PA peers, all of whom are former/current leaders of AAPA and the PA Foundation," said Virginia Valentin, DrPH, PA-C, and an Associate Professor who serves as the Department Chair for the Department. "The reviewers were impressed by the caliber of all the nominations submitted; however, Shelley’s application stood out due to her notable track record of and clear passion for leading community health initiatives, helping the underserved, and mentoring students."

Four fellowship awards in the amount of $2,500 were distributed.

A 2008 alum of the UKPAS Morehead Campus, Shelley joined faculty in 2016 where she serves as Chair of Admissions and provides curricular instruction as part of the clinical team. 

Irving is Board Certified  through National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and licensed by the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. Shelley has 11 years of experience practicing rural primary care in Eastern Kentucky and continues to care for underserved patients in the region through work as a volunteer provider and member of the Board of Directors for People's Clinic in Morehead, Kentucky. Primary interests involve preparing future Physician Assistants (PA's) for practice in underserved areas to improve the health and well-being of Kentuckians. To achieve this goal requires preparing students for interprofessional collaboration, leadership, and community engagement.  To provide for these needs of our learners, Shelley serves as a Fellow of the UK Center for Interprofessional Health Education and as a Member of the CME Committee for the Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants (KAPA).

As a member of the Board of Directors for People's Clinic, Shelley works to ensure the needs of the medically underserved in the community are met, as well as, provide a robust clinical learning environment for interprofessional healthcare students interested in rural primary care.  

"I am humbled and honored to be a 2022 recipient of the PA Foundation's prestigious William H. Marquardt Community Health Access Fellowship," Shelley said. "Being nominated and recognized by distinguished colleagues and peers for living out my purpose is surreal. My hope is that this award encourages others to find and live out their purpose and reinforces the good work that Physician Assistants do in their communities, as part of the health care team. I am blessed to be part of the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences where caring for all community members is what we do best."

SEE MORE OF SHELLEY HERE.