Aurora Anderson Maria, PA-C
Aurora graduated from Shenandoah University’s PA program in 2012 with a MS in Physician Assistant Studies. She also holds a MS in Pharmacology from Tulane University and a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies from Furman University. Since graduation, she has practiced primarily as a General Surgery PA for over 10 years. She is a passionate PA student preceptor as well as mentor to pre-PA students. She has served on the MdAPA board as a chair and co-chair of the diversity committee. During that time, she passionately pursued making the PA profession more visible to underrepresented minoritized groups. Aurora strongly believes the patient-provider experience is of great importance in improving patient motivation and therefore improving patient health outcomes.
Why the PALLA fellowship?
"As former adjunct faculty prior to PA school, teaching has been a long-standing career choice for me. I am excited to have the opportunity to bring my previous experience into the PA educational arena. Additionally, I have always had a love for research and spent a decade prior to PA school in academic research. The PALLA fellowship feels like the natural progression in my career path by giving me a solid foundation that will allow me to be a part of teaching the next generation of PA students using research-supported methodology."
