Celebrating PA Week: Second-year physician assistant student sets sights on addressing health disparities

Teresa Zamor is experiencing a lot of firsts.

She’s a first-generation American — her father hails from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and her mother is from Kingston, Jamaica. She recently attended the national conference hosted by the American Academy of Physician Assistants for the first time. But perhaps the biggest “first” is that she finished her initial year as a physician assistant student at her first-choice school, the University of Florida.

In 2008, Teresa’s mother was diagnosed with cancer and became physically unable to work full time. Teresa grew concerned about the looming financial burden of college but was fortunate to receive scholarships that allowed her to pursue her undergraduate studies at UF. Upon graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor of health science degree in 2015, the Cape Coral, Florida, native set her sights on training to become a physician assistant, once again scoring a scholarship to help her pursue her professional dream at UF.

“I feel fortunate to be a PA student at UF because the faculty are incredible at preparing us,” she says. “My classmates and I are frequently taught by lecturers who are renowned in their specialties.”

When Teresa and her classmates weren’t learning about medical conditions during their first year at the UF School of Physician Assistant Studies, they were focusing on how to perform complete physical exams or practicing presentation skills to prepare them for their second year — and beyond.

“I enjoy learning about almost anything related to biology and I enjoy helping people. However, what really drove my decision to go into medicine — as opposed to research — was my desire to address health disparities,” Teresa says. “It baffles me that two patients with the same exact diagnosis can have different health outcomes because of easily modifiable factors. By becoming a PA, I know I can improve access and provide quality health care to help mitigate the effects of health disparities.”