SU health programs among nation's best

WINCHESTER -- Shenandoah University has three of the nation's best graduate programs in the health sciences, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Shenandoah's graduate-level physician assistant studies program ranked No. 23 out of 73 schools on the magazine's recently published list.

"We are very proud to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report and by our peers, because this is a peer review," says Anthony Miller, director of SU's Division of Physician Assistant Studies. "It's a tribute to the physician assistant faculty, staff, students and Shenandoah University as a whole."

Miller was hired in October 2000 to design and develop the physician assistant program. The first class started in August 2001, and since then 134 students have successfully completed the rigorous 27-month curriculum.

SU's graduate program in nurse-midwifery ranked 25th out of 34 schools on the magazine's list. The university enrolled its first nurse-midwifery students in 1997.

The school's graduate program in occupational therapy, established in 1991, also found a spot on the list, ranking No. 65 out of 116 programs.

All health professions rankings, according to U.S. News & World Report's Web site, "are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators, and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline."

Respondents rated the academic quality of the programs on a five-point scale: outstanding (5 points), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2), or marginal (1).

-- Daily Staff Report