Congratulations to George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) alumnus, Rick Hillegas, PA-C ’74, who was named a distinguished fellow by the American Academy of Physician Assistants for his contributions to patient care and his work in occupational medicine.
Hillegas, a member of GW’s first graduating class from the Physician Assistant Program, currently serves as associate dean of the Physician Assistant Program in the School of Physician Assistant Studies at South College in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Hillegas has 40 years of experience practicing as a physician assistant, including 26 years in the Naval Services. He also served as a medical officer on three different U.S. Coast Guard Icebreakers over the course of four nine-month deployments to the Antarctic and Arctic.
In addition to his PA-C, Hillegas holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of California-Berkeley and most recently completed his Ed.D. in counseling psychology from Sarasota University/Argosy University.
