Natalie Koncz, MEDEX Spokane Class 8, earns Master of Public Health Degree

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Natalie Koncz (née Scott) is the first MEDEX graduate to complete the concurrent degree program with the Extended Degree Program (EDP) in the UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, earning both a Certificate of Completion from MEDEX and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the EDP. Natalie began MPH coursework during the summer between the classroom and clinical phases of physician assistant training. This concentrated summer quarter was followed by an academic year in which Natalie both took additional MPH coursework and completed her MEDEX clinical rotations—at the same time. After earning her MEDEX Certificate in 2006, Natalie continued to fulfill the requirements for the MPH while working as a newly certified PA. With the submission of her master’s thesis, Preparing Tomorrow’s Physician Assistants to Practice Evidence-Based Medicine: A Curriculum Assessment at MEDEX Northwest, Natalie earned her MPH on December 5th, 2008. Other MEDEX students and graduates are working on the same concurrent program to become an MPH-trained PA-C, but we would like to recognize Natalie as the first to complete this intensive dual certificate/degree program. Congratulations Natalie!!