West Liberty University has selected William A. Childers, Jr. as director of the Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program. Childers began his duties in June, 2014.
“We are pleased to welcome Bill to the College of Sciences as our Physician Assistant Studies program welcomes its third class of students this summer,” said Dean Dr. Robert Kreisberg. The WLU PA degree program officially began as a master’s program in July 2012 under the leadership of Dr. Allan Bedashi, who served until Dr. Childers was hired.
A native of Triadelphia, Childers holds a doctoral degree in education with emphasis in curriculum and instruction from West Virginia University, and both a master’s degree in science and a bachelor’s degree in health science from Alderson Broaddus College (now University).
He has been a physician assistant for 23 years and has practiced clinically as a PA in primary care, pediatrics, urgent care, and in the United States Army.
Childers also has more than 16 years of experience in higher education. Most recently, he was academic coordinator and assistant professor for Marietta College’s Physician Assistant program, where he worked from 2007 – 2014.
He also was an instructor at Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in July 2012. Prior to that, he was an instructor/director at Alderson Broaddus from 1998 – 2007, where he earned four Teacher of the Year awards.
Childers’ clinical experience includes Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers, Fairmont, W.Va., 1991 – 1998; Shinnston Medical Center Branch, 1994 – 1998; Premier Pediatrics, Bridgeport, W.Va., 1999 – 2003.
He served active duty in the U.S. Army, Fort Drum, N.Y., from 2003 – 2004 and has served at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, from 2010 to the present time.
Childers published numerous articles in medical journals and has presented at various educational conferences. A Distinguished Fellow with the American Academy of Physician Assistants, he also is a former president of the West Virginia Association of Physician Assistants.
Additionally, Dr. Childers has travelled to Nicaragua, Bolivia and Tanzania on medical mission trips.
West Liberty University’s Physician Assistant Studies program graduated its inaugural class in June 2014. Its third class will begin its course of study on June 30. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the PA career is expected to grow faster than other occupations requiring at least a master’s degree, through 2018.
For more information on West Liberty University, please call 866-westlib.