Stanford University School of Medicine-Foothill College Primary Care Associate Program’s Mission
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Welcome to the Stanford University School of Medicine-Foothill College Primary Care 
Associate Program’s web site.
Program Director’s Message:
As the new Primary Care Associate Program (PCAP) Director I feel honored to be part of this wonderful program. The Program has always excelled in graduating excellent physician assistants. My main goal is to maintain high quality physician assistant education. I want to provide mentoring, support and leadership to the Program’s faculty and students.
I believe wholeheartedly in the mission of the program: “to train physician assistants for practice in primary care and in medically underserved communities in California”. I will work to expand our educational relationships with community health centers in underserved areas in California. These community health centers are ideal clinical trainings sites for our students, and match the Program’s mission. Our presence in these diverse communities will also promote the profession among groups who have not traditionally considered careers in health care. I am hopeful this will help increase the enrollment and deployment of underrepresented minorities as Physician Assistants. I will continue to increase other outreach activities to identify underrepresented minority students who fit our mission.
The Program is part of the Stanford University School of Medicine Center for Education in Family and Community Medicine (CEFCM). Under this umbrella our program has created various educational opportunities that benefit our students’ education. I will continue to support these opportunities and work to create new ones. I am very excited about the transition of the Center to the Department of Medicine (DOM). As of September1, 2009 CEFCM will be a division in the DOM. I am looking forward to this transition, and to explore new educational opportunities for our students.
The PCA program has an administrative relationship with Foothill College. Our students pay Foothill College fees, which makes the Program affordable to our target student population. I will support and maintain this relationship, and will continue to work closely with deans and trustees at that institution.
I graduated from the Primary Care Associate program in 1991 as a PA-C and FNP and obtained a Masters degree in Public Health (MPH) from the San Jose State University in 1996. I worked as a PA in the San Jose Family Practice Residency program for 10 years, and at the Ravenswood Family Health Center for 4 years, both of which provide health care for underserved populations. I have fulfilled various educational roles in the Program. I participated in many of the program’s accreditation visits from the ARC-PA, most recently 2007. My service to Stanford School of Medicine has included 5 years of teaching hands-on clinical skills and history taking to medical students in their Practice of Medicine course. In addition to my educational activities, I have served as a board member for the Gardner Family Care Corporation, Inc (San Jose) for the past 3 years, which is also dedicated to providing health care for underserved patients.
I look forward to the new challenges of serving as PCAP Program Director, and am excited about this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Lucinda Hirahoka, PA-C, FNP, MPH
Program Director, PCAP
