Faculty & Staff
Our faculty is drawn from nationally recognized contributors to PA and MD education, and encourages a collegial professional relationship with their students. We are committed to the ideal that we are not just educating physician assistants but future colleagues as well.
Faculty
Program Director
Susan White, MD
Program Director
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
BU Profile
Education
- MD, Tufts University, Boston, MA
- BA, Biology and Environmental Science, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Biography
Susan White, M.D. is the Program Director of the Physician Assistant (PA) Program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She joined PA program in 2013 as one of the founding faculty as the Director of Didactic Curriculum and became program director in 2019.
She has served on several national committees for the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) and is currently the Exam Development Board for the PAEA Women’s Health and Psychiatry End-of-Rotation Exam. She was a 2014-2015 Gold Humanism Scholar at the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators with a project to develop a novel longitudinal integrated clerkship for PA students with a colleague from Cambridge Health Alliance. She is a co-investigator on BU CHAMPs, a 5-year primary care transformation grant funded by HRSA in collaboration with the BUSM Department of Family Medicine.
In 2007 she became a full-time PA faculty member at MCPHS University. From 2010 -2013 she was the Program Director for the Manchester-Worcester PA program. While there she received the MCPHS University Division of Health Sciences Teacher of the Year Award and the Faculty Research and Scholarship Award.
Dr. White received her B.A. in Biology and Environmental Science from Wesleyan University and her M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine. Her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology was completed at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and is board certified. She practiced for 20 years in Nashua, New Hampshire and continues to practice gynecology at Boston Medical Center.
Didactic Team
Aliza Stern, MMSc, PA-C, Director of Didactic Education, Associate Program Director
Director of Didactic Education, Associate Program Director
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
BU Profile
Education
- MMSc, Physician Associate Program Yale University, New Haven, CT
- BA, Behavioral Neuroscience, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Biography
As the Director of Didactic Education, Aliza A. Stern MMSc, PA-C is responsible for the management, assessment and evaluation of learning outcomes pertaining to the didactic curriculum, as well as educating and evaluating the physician assistant students knowledge. Ms. Stern received her Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Neuroscience at Lehigh University before attending Yale University School of Medicine’s Physician Associate Program, through which she obtained her PA certificate and Masters of Medical Science degree. She first practiced at Cambridge Hospital in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and has been practicing privately in Dermatology for the past 10 years. She practices clinical in the Department of Dermatology at Boston Medical Center.
Dan Tzizik, MPAS, MPH, PA-C, Associate Director of Didactic Education
Associate Director of Didactic Education
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
BU Profile
Education
- MPH, Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- MPAS, Physician Assistant Studies, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA
- BS, Biological Sciences, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
Biography
Professor Tzizik joined the PA program as a faculty member in 2020. He is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and received his MPAS from the University of Iowa College of Medicine PA Program. He has three years experience in PA education and practices clinically in Emergency Medicine. For the past 19 years, he has been a member of the New Hampshire National Guard where he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Professor Tzizik is the Associate Director of Didactic Education for the Physician Assistant Program.
Robert O'Brien, DrPH, MHS, PA-C, Associate Director of Didactic Education
Associate Director of Didactic Education
Clinical Instructor of Medicine
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
Education
- DrPH, Public Health, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN
- MHS, Physician Assistant Studies, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
- BA, Leadership Studies and Medical Humanities, University of Richmond, VA
Biography
Robert O’Brien, DrPH, MHS, PA-C, joined the physician assistant program faculty in May 2023. He has practiced clinically in orthopaedic surgery, sports medicine, sports traumatology, joint reconstruction, and reconstructive plastic surgery. His clinical work includes peri-operative management and first assisting within the operating room. His professional interests include sports injury prevention, surgical innovation, preventive medicine, evidence-based care, inclusion of marginalized populations in sports, and the effective integration of public health concepts into clinical medicine. He continues to remain involved in several research efforts focused on these areas. Dr. O’Brien completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Richmond, studying leadership and medical humanities. He earned his master’s in health sciences from Drexel University in 2013. He earned his doctoral degree in public health from Walden University in 2023. His dissertation was on Associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Organized Sports Participation among Sexual Minority Adolescents.
Clinical Team
Angela Reffel, MHP, PA-C, Director of Clinical Education
Director of Clinical Education
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
BU Profile
Education
- MHP, Physician Assistant Program, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- BA, Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Biography
Angela C. Reffel, MHP, PA-C joined the Physician Assistant Program at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine in 2016. Ms. Reffel received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology at Brandeis University before attending Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences Physician Assistant Program where she obtained her Physician Assistant certificate and Masters of Health Professions degree. She also completed the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases NP/PA Hepatology Fellowship. For the last 14 years she has practiced at Boston Medical Center in the Section of Gastroenterology, but has clinical and research experience in a variety of settings which include the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Planned Parenthood, Fenway Community Health Center and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
In her role as the Director of Clinical Education, Ms. Reffel is responsible for vetting, assessing and maintaining clinical sites as well as educating and evaluating physician assistant student’s clinical skills.
Michael Smith, MS, PA-C, Associate Director of Clinical Education
Associate Director of Clinical Education
Clinical Instructor of Medicine
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
Education
- MS, Physician Assistant Studies, Northeastern University, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Boston, MA
- BA, Political Science, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
Biography
Michael Smith, PA-C joined the didactic faculty team in 2020 as the Associate Director of Clinical Education. Before becoming a PA, Professor Smith worked as a paramedic in urban communities in the Greater Boston area. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and received his MS in Physician Assistant Studies from Northeastern University. He previously worked at Marist and MCPHS PA Programs and joins our team with over five years of experience in PA education. Professor Smith practices clinically in Orthopaedics.
Medical Director
Melissa DiPetrillo, MD
Medical Director, PA Program
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
BU Profile
Education
- BA, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
- MD, Boston University School of Medicine
- Residency Training, Internal Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine/ Boston Medical Center
Biography
Melissa DiPetrillo, M.D. has been a medical educator since 2005. She joined the program in 2016 as the PA Program Medical Director and directs the Clinical Practicum courses in addition to her service as a thesis advisor. She has over 10 years of experience teaching medical students in the clinical years. She has published a curriculum for teaching the pulmonary exam to medical students and much of her medical education interests continue to include clinical medicine, critical thinking, and communication. She has been an active presenter and panel discussant for Scope of Pain, a continuing medical education activity designed to help medical providers safely and effectively manage patients with chronic pain.
Dr. DiPetrillo is a graduate of Wellesley College, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and Boston Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency. She cares for patients in both the inpatient and outpatient setting and also supervises an internal medicine resident continuity clinic. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and was granted the Clinical Educator of the Year Award (2011). In 2015 she was granted the Department of General Medicine Sam Putman Award.
Director of Research
John R. Weinstein, PhD, MS
Director of Research
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Contact Information
phone: (617) 358-9589
email: paoffice@bu.edu
BU Profile
Education
- MS, Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
- PhD, Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley
- BA, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
Biography
Dr. Weinstein joined the PA program as a faculty member in 2017. Prior to joining the program he was a global health researcher in the Division of Global Health Sciences at University of California, San Francisco. He has experience teaching in undergraduate and graduate programs in chemistry, biostatistics and global health economics. He has presented his research at the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology annual meetings and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health.
Dr. Weinstein is the Director of Research for the Physician Assistant Program. He develops and implements the program’s research curriculum which consists of coursework, journal clubs, and the thesis project. Dr. Weinstein performs research related to environmental toxins and pregnancy in Kenya and reducing household air pollution in Guatemala.
Staff
Cindy Yee-Lin, Senior Program Manager
Mary Sena, Clinical Clerkship Coordinator
Nicole Fisco, Administrative Coordinator