Faculty
Deanna Oliver, DMSc, MSPA, PA-C
Fall 1980 - Fall 2120
Associate Professor I
Doctor of Medical Science Program
deannaoliver@scuhs.edu
Current Position
Biography
Deanna Oliver, DMSc, PA-C has been a certified PA for 14 years, practicing in the areas of geriatrics, emergency medicine, and urgent care. In 2019, she transitioned from clinical practice to full-time academia as the program director of the South University, Savannah, Physician Assistant Program. During her time as program director, Dr. Oliver was an active contributor to urgent curriculum changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while maintaining the program’s obligations to students and accreditation standards. She also contributed to the Application and Self Study Report for accredited-provisional and accredited-continued applications with the other South University Physician Assistant Programs, through its intradepartmental committees.
Dr. Oliver is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Minor in Studio Art from the University of North Florida. She completed the Master of Science in Physician Assistant from the South University, Savannah, Physician Assistant Program in 2009. She was the recipient of the Robert DiBenedetto Student Achievement Award for outstanding academic, clinical, and professional performance during PA training and was inducted into the Pi Alpha National Honor Society for Physician Assistants. In January 2021, she completed the Doctor of Medical Science degree with a Concentration in PA Education from the University of Lynchburg and received a Dual Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Administration and Management and Executive Leadership from the University of Lynchburg in January 2022.
Dr. Oliver is a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association, the Academy of Doctoral PAs, the American Academy of PAs, and the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants. Dr. Oliver has presented at the Physician Assistant Education Association National Forum, the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants CME Symposium, and was a contributing author in A Comprehensive Review for the Certification and Recertification Examination for Physician Assistants.
Degrees
DMSc, PA Education, University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States
M.S.P.A.S., Physician Assistant, South University, Savannah, Georgia, United States
B.Sc., Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Professional Licensures (Healthcare)
PA-C, Georgia, United States, Active, 2010, August 2023
PA-C, Florida, United States, Inactive, 2009, January 2024
PA-C, Virginia, United States, Inactive, 2019, August 2025
Certifications (Healthcare)
National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), National, 1086285, 2009-03-26, 2023-12-31
Post-Graduate Training
Type: Graduate Certificate, University of Lynchburg, Healthcare Administration and Management, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, January 2021, December 2021
Type: Graduate Certificate, University of Lynchburg, Executive Leadership, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, January 2021, December 2021
Work Experience
2023 - Ongoing
Program Director, Administrator I, Doctor of Medical Science Program, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Whittier, California, United States
2019 - 2023
Physician Assistant Program Director, South University, Savannah, Savannah, Georgia, United States
2017 - 2019
Lead Advanced Practice Provider (PAs and NPs), MedStar PromptCare, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
2014 - 2017
Physician Assistant, EmCare - Contract provider organization for emergency departments at Coliseum Medical Center and Northside Hospital, Macon, Georgia, United States
2010 - 2013
Faculty Instructor I, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia, United States
2009 - 2010
Physician Assistant, Yergin Pulmonary Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Hospital / Clinical Appointments
Physician Assistant, Yergin Pulmonary Clinic April 2009, February 2010
Physician Assistant - Faculty Instructor, Mercer University Department of Family Medicine March 2010, December 2013
Physician Assistant, Coliseum Medical Center/Macon Northside Hospital January 2014, June 2017
Physician Assistant, MedStar PromptCare August 2017, June 2019
Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions
Chapter
Completed/Published
Presentation
Completed/Published
Honors and Awards
Spring 2009 - Ongoing
Pi Alpha National PA Honor Society, 2009, PAEA, Pi Alpha is the national PA honor society organized for the promotion and recognition of both PA students and graduates. Membership signifies inductees’ significant academic achievements and honors them for their leadership, research, community/professional service, and other related activities. The society also encourages a high standard of character and conduct among students and graduates.
Robert DiBenedetto Student Achievement Award, 2009, South University Physician Assistant Program, South University Savannah PA Program. Award chosen by the South University PA Program principal faculty in honor of one of the founding professionals of the South University PA Program. The award recognizes an overall outstanding student in the graduate class for the following attributes: excellence in academics, consistently outstanding performance on clinical rotations, outstanding evaluations of professionalism, dedication to program and profession. March 2009.
Summer 2009 - Summer 2009
Robert DiBenedetto Student Achievement Award, 2009, South University PA Program, South University Savannah PA Program. Award chosen by the South University PA Program principal faculty in honor of one of the founding professionals of the South University PA Program. The award recognizes an overall outstanding student in the graduate class for the following attributes: excellence in academics, consistently outstanding performance on clinical rotations, outstanding evaluations of professionalism, dedication to program and profession. March 2009.
Professional Membership
Summer 2009 - Ongoing
American Academy of Physician Assistants/Associates, May 2009
Spring 2010 - Ongoing
Georgia Association of Physician Assistants, February 2010
Summer 2019 - Ongoing
Physician Assistant Education Association, July 2019
Spring 2020 - Ongoing
Academy of Doctoral PAs, April 2020, The Academy of Doctoral PAs is an association of doctorate-trained PAs who are dedicated to progressing the PA profession so that it remains competitive in the healthcare industry.
Hear from the Students Who’ve Been in Your Shoes
I chose SCU when looking for a PA program because of their Integrative Medicine approach. I am from Michigan, and not many programs focus on this Integrative, Holistic approach when it comes to patient care in the Midwest, and I felt that was very important for me to learn as a future provider. My transition to semi-virtual learning has been very smooth and quite enjoyable. [su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]My favorite part about attending SCU is how tight-knit and diverse the community is. Coming from a large undergrad university and moving so far, it was very important for me to have a PA program that made me feel valued and invested in my success. At SCU, they do a great job of making you feel that.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Brianna Hadley
MSPA Class of 2022
One of the great things about SCU is we do have a campus layout, so all your classes aren't in a single room. We have our cadaver lab. We have different specialty rooms for physical assessment classes vs. acupuncture classes. All our acupuncture-specific classes have all the herbs in the room. You can pull out the herbs and look at them, whether in class or in between classes to get that extra studying in.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]My favorite part of SCU is the collaboration from our beginning terms. We were working alongside chiropractor students, PA students, and ayurvedic students. It's a unique community where we get to learn about these different fields and sit in classrooms with them and work with them in the clinic. It allows you to get an understanding of all the different fields and how they can work together, and what is unique about your field. I think that is a wonderful aspect that I didn't think was going to be as prominent as it is here; even now, in my upper term classes and I am not in class with chiropractic students, I can still reach out to them about a certain aspect I may not understand or if I am working on a case. I want another perspective I know I have them to reach out to, so that has been a great networking community to have resources for.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Dr. Jamie Kuljis
Graduate, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
"There are a lot of things that I love about the program at SCU. The first one is that the faculty come from a long line of Ayurvedic knowledge deeply rooted in ancient classical text. They studied Ayurveda, but they also lived it. When you learn from people who embody this wisdom, it's much easier to grasp this knowledge. The second thing I love is the camaraderie within the cohort. The combination of the training, supportive faculty, and the support of my peers and classmates has given me the confidence I need to start my own practice."
Portia Harris
Student, Ayurveda Program
Some of my favorite courses at SCU have to be the chiropractic procedure classes; those are the classes you get to hone in on your chiro skills, your palpation skills and ultimately work on the adjustments that make you a chiropractor. Those are the classes I feel enhance my knowledge the most and are some of the reasons I chose to become a chiropractor here are SCU.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]On top of chiropractic procedures classes, my favorite is the cadaver lab experience. The cadaver classes opened up my perception of what the human body is made up of. It allowed me to get an in-person perspective of how the body works and looks on the inside. I am genuinely thankful for those experiences because they opened and broadened my horizons to the human body and anatomy in general.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Jordan Vega
Student, Doctor of Chiropractic
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