Inside Education and Health Sciences

By Emily Clemenson

Halemah Shuman was finishing up a course on infectious diseases as part of a master's in global health when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world in March of 2020. For some, it was a deterrent from the medical field, but for Shuman, a Palestinian-American, it reinforced her decision to be a helper. 

Shuman reflected on her experiences working in underserved areas of healthcare and how a myriad of socioeconomic and health disparities in these areas often magnify patient vulnerabilities. 

"The lack of emphasis on preventative health care leaves many vulnerable to significant health issues," Shuman said. "I want to bridge this gap and create avenues for underserved populations to receive preventative health education." 

She started exploring the different medical field pathways during undergrad and chose physician assistant school because of the work-life balance it can offer, as well as the amount of face time spent with patients is longer than doctors. 

Plus, the fact that she could get into the career field after just 27 months (compared to an average of 8 years for physicians) didn't hurt.

Shuman is finishing her classroom coursework in the physician assistant program at the University of Dayton, preparing to start a year of clinical rotations in January. 

"There's the analogy of PA school is like drinking water through a fire hose. You get a year to learn all the material," Shuman said. "But I don't feel like I'm limited as a PA. I feel like I'll still be capable of saving someone, or to change someone's life just by talking them through their situation."

Shuman's determination to work in the medical field and her passion for serving the underserved led her to the National Health Service Corps scholarship. She was among the approximately 10% of applicants who were accepted into the scholarship program, which covers educational expenses to a graduate program in a primary care health profession, and in exchange the scholar commits to a couple years of working in an underserved community in primary care, women's health or pediatrics.

She was drawn to the PA program at UD because the curriculum is modular-based. In the first half of their year in the classroom, students dive deep into a body system like GI or cardiology and learn everything there is to know about that system and the things that might go wrong. The second half of the year focuses on specific populations, like pediatrics or geriatrics, and applies the system-based content to the population. 

"I don't think I would have been able to learn as efficiently and thoroughly as I would have at non-modular schools," Shuman said. "I feel like I can sit with the material better."

She also spoke to the community service aspect of the program — and of UD in general — evident from her very first day on campus when interviewing for a spot in the program. 

"The faculty brought us all in the room before the interview and were telling us about themselves, and they were laughing together," she recalls. "You could tell everyone liked each other. The service work that our faculty does in the community, like the Reach Out Clinic, gives us as students great volunteer opportunities."

Leading up to her anticipated graduation in December of 2025, Shuman will have to decide if she wants to work in general primary care, women's health or pediatrics to fulfill her commitment to the NHSC scholarship. Afterwards, her PA credentials could take her into any field or specialty — PAs are qualified to work in inpatient, outpatient, clinics, operating rooms, emergency rooms and more. 

"In my religion, there is a verse in our Quran that says, if you save one person it's as if you've saved all of humanity," Shuman said. "My experiences will always serve as inspiration for me to work as a PA who serves their patients with compassion, acknowledges their whole self and promotes health initiatives that will encourage health education for generations to come in these underserved communities."