Dedication to Uncompromising Excellence Fuels Northeast’s New PA Program Director
Meet Dr. Scott Richards.
Director, Master of Science in physician assistant studies
The founding director for Northeast’s new Master of Science in physician assistant studies (M.S. in PA) program, Dr. Scott Richards has worn many hats in his professional life. He has approached each role with his signature dedication to mindfulness, compassion, service and inclusiveness.
Richards spent more than 20 years as a practicing PA in California, Maine and Virginia and has worked extensively in higher education, including teaching at medical schools and PA programs and in the roles of principal faculty, director of didactic education, director of clinical education, associate dean, program director and founding chair and program director for several PA programs.
As if that’s not enough, Richards is also a clinical psychologist who has consulted for PA programs across the country and has delivered and led new faculty and new program director trainings for the Physician Assistant Education Association and delivered multiple presentations for academic institutions student accommodations and student success.
Northeast’s Planned PA Program: Innovative and Rigorous
Applying all that experience, Richards is eager to be developing one of the latest PA programs to be created, here at Northeast College of Health Science, touting it as a program that will surpass many other PA programs across the country. The M.S. in physician assistant studies program at Northeast will offer innovative and rigorous medical training, ensuring graduates can meet the needs of all patients and communities–including the most underserved.
“I am grateful to be taking the helm of Northeast College’s new PA program,” he said. “I have been searching for an academic home that shares my passion for a patient-centric and student-centric mission. Northeast not only provides a sense of family, but it truly feels like home.”
Already in the Works: What’s Happening with Northeast’s PA Program
Richards and the expert Northeast PA team have completed considerable work required to create a brand-new PA curriculum and to ensure it aligns with Northeast’s already extensive catalog of health sciences programs. One of his first tasks was hiring the right team of professionals to lead and teach.
The team has been working non-stop to develop the program, said Richards. They are all “incredibly talented, supportive and dedicated to creating the best PA program,” combining all they have learned in their decades of shared experience. This current team includes Medical Director Dr. Thomas Thompson, M.D, Ph.D, and three full-time principal faculty members, all of whom are practicing and nationally certified PAs who have worked with Richards in previous programs: Gina LaMandre, M.S., Erin O'Donoghue, M.S., and Kim Wieringa, who holds a Doctor of Medical Science.
Richards easily ticks off the tasks remaining between now and the program’s launch. “We have already completed the first draft of our Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) application, currently under review to be finalized and submitted in March 2025,” Richards said. “We will subsequently have our required accreditation virtual site visit in June 2025.”
What’s Next for Northeast College’s PA Program
Although Richards enjoys the work involved in creating a program from scratch, he is eagerly looking forward to the PA program’s launch. “I like nothing better than serving patients and students,” he said. “I look forward to our first class matriculating so I can once again be in front of, educating, mentoring and collaborating with students.”
Quick Facts about Northeast College’s PA Program Director: Dr. Scott Richards
Richards has been a Physician’s Assistant-Certified (PA-C) since graduating from Hahnemann University’s PA program (now known as Drexel University) in 1994, where he was in the public health service and completed specialty preceptorships in rural family medicine and correctional medicine with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Upon graduating, he continued his service with National Health and State Health Service Corps working at rural family practices in Northern California and Central Maine.
Richards completed his first bachelor’s degree at U Mass, Boston majoring in anthropology with a minor in secondary education. Clinically, with an interest in working with underserved patient populations, Richards has a long history of focusing on primary care medicine with integrated behavioral health services for Federally Qualified Health Centers and free clinics for the underserved. He has developed, run and expanded several free clinics.
Later in his career, Richards earned master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from Walden University, completing clinical psychology practicums and internships in school psychology, health psychology and psychotherapy with an emphasis on psychodynamic and mindfulness-based cognitive behavior therapies. He has integrated his knowledge in psychology and psychotherapy in his PA practices to better serve patients.
Quick Questions with Dr. Scott Richards
What makes this program a good addition for Northeast, and how is the College prepared to offer this program?
In recent years, Northeast has expanded its educational offerings to establish a broader patient-centric foothold in clinical medicine. Additionally, Northeast has created a strong foundation, based on its varied health sciences programs, that serve the success of the PA program and other clinical health science offerings. I am impressed with how faculty in other programs have gone out of their way to support the PA program team, discuss interprofessional education opportunities and strategize how to best work together.
Given the tremendous support at Northeast, and the College being fully invested in the well-being and success of our students, I am excited to deliver this PA program model, which complements existing College offerings. I have no doubt the PA program will be a great fit and an outstanding and seamless addition.
What can we expect once the program is up and running? How will your role change?
As with all the PA program faculty, I will teach classes across the curriculum and serve as the course director for our Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry course as well as some of our supervised clinical practice experience courses. I will continue to serve as the lead administrator for the program, always collaborating with the College, our other programs, the PA program team and our clinical affiliates. We will also be adding faculty/students for advising, mentoring and teaching.
PA Program Quick Fact
Unlike many graduate medical education programs, PA programs are required to have 100% of their affiliation and preceptor agreements at the time of their ARC-PA application and site visit – though the first PA students at Northeast will not begin their clinical rotation experiences until January 2027.
So far, Northeast College has excellent support within the region but the process of securing clinical sites and preceptors never stops. Anyone interested in assisting the program as a clinical site or preceptor, please reach out to Richards directly at srichards@northeastcollege.edu.