Mia Malin

Quinnipiac Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2016

I was raised in Newtown, CT, and obtained my undergraduate degree from Fordham University in Natural Sciences with a minor in Mathematics. I trained as a ballet dancer through high school, and participated in many community outreach programs with my dance company. My most rewarding endeavor was teaching a 90-minute dance class to at-risk 5th and 6th grade girls in Bridgeport, CT. I worked as a professional ballet dancer in New York City through college, and during this time I continued volunteering throughout the boroughs and participated in some national outreach as well. My favorite outreach project during my college years involved working with autistic children in a movement therapy program. In college, as my love for science and medicine grew, I also began volunteering in hospitals and shelters around New York City. I worked in Bellevue Hospital Center’s emergency department, and I volunteered a women’s shelter in the Bronx.

As the PA profession is intrinsically interprofessional, I value the opportunity to further develop cooperative skills as a team member via UST. UST’s interprofessional experience will allow me to better understand the true nature of each team member’s role, which in turn will allow me manage all aspects of my patient’s biopsychosocial needs by referring them to the appropriate providers. A patient is not simply an aggregate of discrete organ systems; patients require multiple vectors of care, all contributing to the patient’s well-being as an individual. Every specialist is part of a team for the good of the patient, and good communication is essential in order to facilitate unified, consistent care.