School of Physician Assistant Studies adds new director
Jason Huddleston, 20-year health care veteran, drawn to Lipscomb by the integration of faith and medicine.
Office of Public Relations and Communications |
This spring, Dr. Jason Huddleston has joined the physician assistant studies program as an associate professor and program director.
Originally from Woodland, Georgia, Huddleston is now a longtime Tennessee resident, having been a physician assistant for Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance in Murfreesboro and Seven Springs Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Manchester.
“As a PA with almost 20-plus years of health care experience, I developed a passion for the medical and surgical treatment of disease,” Huddleston said. “While this desire has not waned, I have changed my focus toward educating the next generation of physician assistants. I revel in the opportunity to share my knowledge, clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills that I have gained in clinical, hospital and operating room settings.”
Over the past four years, Huddleston has made the transition to the education field as the founding director of didactic education at Middle Tennessee State University and the founding director of clinical education at South College.
“While I can only see and treat a finite number of patients each day, each student that we train at Lipscomb will be able to treat exponentially more patients, essentially expanding the reach and availability of health care across our state and nation,” Huddleston said.
Huddleston became interested in the field as a junior at Carson Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee, where he received a Bachelor of Science in athletic training.
“Having played collegiate athletics, I was naturally drawn toward the collaborative, team-based approach to health care offered by the profession. The profession seemed like a natural fit, as it allowed me to expand my desire to serve and care for people, providing health care to those stricken by disease, while acting as a critical member of the health care team,” Huddleston said.
Following his time at Carson Newman, he earned a Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Florida and recently received a Doctor of Medical Science and a graduate certificate in health care administration and management from the University of Lynchburg.
Huddleston is hoping to use his wealth of experience and skill to help build upon the foundation of the physician assistant studies program at Lipscomb.
“Our mission focus remains on the integration of faith and medicine in order to provide altruistic, compassionate health care to diverse patient populations,” Huddleston said. “Approaching medical practice from a faith perspective allows our graduates to meet patients in some of their darkest times and most vulnerable times.”
This integration of faith and medicine is a major reason why Huddleston was drawn to Lipscomb’s campus.
“As noted in the university's mission statement, Lipscomb is focused on ‘the integration of Christian faith and practice with academic excellence.’ The mission statement resonated with me and also aligns well with my personal educational philosophy. As a leader in health care education, the University is poised to change tomorrow's health care through today's students.”
Huddleston believes this strong foundation is what Lipscomb students will need to impact the lives of patients.
“We want to be known for providing tomorrow's PAs with a strong foundation to go and impact lives through cutting-edge medical practice and evidence-based medicine. We want our program and our graduates to have a strong reputation for excellence in medicine."
“Whenever our students conduct an exam, I want them to remember that the body on the other end of the stethoscope is not just a patient or disease, but rather a real person with real needs, both physical and emotional.”