Melinda Frances Blazar
Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health
Director of Assessment and Evaluation, Duke Physician Assistant Program
Physician Assistant, Duke Family Medicine Center
- Support program evaluation and accreditation, support program-wide assessment efforts
- Strong interests in curriculum development and alignment, holistic assessment, competency-based education, maternal-child health education, and program evaluation and accreditation.
- Participate in general faculty roles including student advising, admissions, small group teaching and lecturing.
Physician Assistant, Duke Family Medicine Center
- Provide maternal-child health services, including low-risk obstetric care in a primary care setting
- Support families and newborns in with care and support in the immediate postpartum/neonatal period.
- Certified Centering Facilitator
- Support family medicine residency education in obstetrics and newborn education.
- Clinical preceptor for Duke PA and MD students
- Advocate for reproductive health issues
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health, Family Medicine and Community Health, Physician Assistant Program, Family Medicine and Community Health 2021
Contact Information
- 800 S Duke Street, Box 104780 Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
- 800 S. Duke Street, Durham, NC 27710
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melinda.blazar@duke.edu
(919) 681-3161
- Background
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Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ed.D., A.T. Still University, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine 2022
- P.A.- C., Duke University 2007
- B.A., Colgate University 2004
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Medical Licensure
- 0010-01053. North Carolina. 2007
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Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health, Family Medicine and Community Health, Physician Assistant Program, Family Medicine and Community Health 2014 - 2020
- Medical Instructor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Family Medicine and Community Health, Physician Assistant Program, Family Medicine and Community Health 2013 - 2014
- Medical Instructor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Family Medicine and Community Health, Family Medicine, Family Medicine and Community Health 2009 - 2013
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Leadership & Clinical Positions at Duke
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Director of Assessment and Evaluation, Duke PA Program
Physician Assistant in Maternal-Child Health, Duke Family Medicine
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Director of Assessment and Evaluation, Duke PA Program
- Recognition
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Awards & Honors
- Clinical Education Award, Nominee. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2021
- Henry “Buddy” Lee Treadwell Award (2020). Duke PA Class of 2020. August 2020
- Fellow Member. Duke AHEAD. October 2019
- Preceptor of the Year. Association for PAs in Obstetrics and Gynecology. May 2017
- Interprofessional Education Award, Nominee. Duke AHEAD. 2016
- Pi Alpha National Honor Society for Physician Assistants. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2014
- Expertise
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Subject Headings
- Research
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Selected Grants
- Physician Assistant Leaders in Underserved Communities (PA-LUC) awarded by Health Resources and Service Administration 2020 - 2025
- Transforming Healthcare through Enhanced Clinical Training Teams awarded by Health Resources and Service Administration 2016 - 2022
- A Woman's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) program at Duke University School of Nursing awarded by Health Resources and Service Administration 2014 - 2018
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Fellowships, Supported Research, & Other Grants
- Support to Advance Reserach (STAR) Program awarded by Physician Assistant Education Association 2018 - 2021
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External Relationships
- Physician Assistant Education Association
- Publications & Artistic Works
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Selected Publications
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Academic Articles
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Clay, Alison S., Kathryn M. Andolsek, Kira Niederhoffer, Apoorva Kandakatla, Gloria Zhang, Meghan Price, Priya Alagesan, et al. “Creation of an asynchronous faculty development curriculum on well-written narrative assessments that avoid bias.” Bmc Med Educ 23, no. 1 (April 14, 2023): 244. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04237-w.Full Text Link to Item
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Blazar, Melinda. “From clinician to coach: The gift of CenteringPregnancy.” Jaapa 36, no. 1 (January 1, 2023): 1. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.JAA.0000902920.73562.79.Full Text Link to Item
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Hudak, Nicholas M., Melinda Blazar, and Nancy W. Knudsen. “Physician Assistant Program Policies to Assess and Address Student Reports of Mistreatment During Clinical Training.” J Physician Assist Educ 33, no. 3 (September 1, 2022): 185–91. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000451.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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Jones, Quinnette, Melinda Blazar, Tara Blackley, Michelle J. Lyn, and Frederick S. Johnson. “COVID Collaborations: A Physician Assistant Program and Health Department Partnership.” J Physician Assist Educ 33, no. 3 (September 1, 2022): 213–15. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000438.Full Text Link to Item
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Porter, Rachel, Jacqueline Barnett, Melinda Blazar, Sandro Pinheiro, and Lynn Bowlby. “Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Dynamic Case-Based Module Set for Interprofessional Educators, Learners, and Clinicians.” Mededportal 18 (2022): 11238. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11238.Full Text Link to Item
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Rana, Rachel, Melinda Blazar, Quincy Jones, Rita Butterfield, Christine M. Everett, and Perri Morgan. “PA job availability in primary care during 2014 and 2016.” Jaapa 33, no. 7 (July 2020): 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.JAA.0000668820.22981.be.Full Text Link to Item
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Zietlow, Kahli E., Megan Gillum, Sarah L. Hale, April Stouder, Melinda Blazar, Nicholas M. Hudak, and David Ming. “A novel curriculum to train physician assistant students how to write effective discharge summaries.” Med Educ Online 24, no. 1 (December 2019): 1648944. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2019.1648944.Full Text Link to Item
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Trotter, K., M. Blazar, V. C. Muckler, M. Kuszajewski, and M. A. Molloy. “Perinatal IPE simulation can improve collaborative competencies.” Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice 15 (June 1, 2019): 30–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2019.01.011.Full Text
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Danford, Christopher, Barbara Sheline, Viviana Martinez-Bianchi, Melinda Blazar, Patricia Dieter, and Nancy Weigle. “Course on care of patients with chronic illness: patient-centered medical home model.” Educ Health (Abingdon) 27, no. 2 (2014): 205–7. https://doi.org/10.4103/1357-6283.143771.Full Text Link to Item
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Sheline, Barbara, Mina Silberberg, Melinda Blazar, Brian Halstater, and Lloyd Michener. “Population health initiatives for primary care at Duke University School of Medicine.” N C Med J 75, no. 1 (2014): 33–35. https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.75.1.33.Full Text Link to Item
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- Teaching & Mentoring
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Recent Courses
- PHYASST 222: Clinical Medicine III 2023
- PHYASST 222: Clinical Medicine III 2022
- PHYASST 231: Patient Assessment and Counseling I 2022
- PHYASST 327: Infectious Medicine 2022
- PHYASST 374: Opioids In America 2022
- PHYASST 376: Advance Clinical Medicine 2022
- PHYASST 222: Clinical Medicine III 2021
- PHYASST 231: Patient Assessment and Counseling I 2021
- PHYASST 299: Bridge: The Path to Patient Care 2021
- PHYASST 327: Infectious Medicine 2021
- PHYASST 374: Opioids In America 2021
- PHYASST 376: Advance Clinical Medicine 2021
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Advising & Mentoring
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- Faculty advisor for PA students
- New faculty mentor (Duke PA Program, 2016)
- Faculty mentor to student fellow in PAEA Future Educators Fellowship (2019-2020)
- I also enjoy speaking with preceptors about ways to incorporate student learners into clinical practice
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- Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
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Presentations & Appearances
- Mistreatment Policies: A Descriptive Analysis from a National Survey. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2021 2021
- Implementing an Opioid Curriculum Continuum for Students, Preceptors, and Providers. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. October 2020 2020
- Clinical Education with Competency in Mind. Annual Forum, Invited Panelist. Physician Assistant Education Association. October 2019 2019
- Obstetrics 101: The Basics of Prenatal Care. Annual Conference. American Academy of Physician Assistants Annual Conference. May 2019 2019
- Mistreatment of Learners: Practices and Policies for Prevention. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. October 2018 2018
- The Long Haul: Longitudinal Rotations in Rural Underserved Areas. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. October 2018 2018
- Innovative Data Collection and Use. 14th Annual AAMC Health Workforce Research Conference. May 2018 2018
- Casting Call! Medical Improv for Enchancing Student Communication Skills. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. October 2017 2017
- O is for Obstetrics: The ABCs of Obstetrics in Primary Care. Annual Conference. AAPA. May 2017 2017
- Supply and Demand: PA Jobs in Women’s Health. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2016 2016
- Bridge the Gap: Transitional courses in PA Education. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2015 2015
- CHCs and Physician Assistants: PArtners in Practice and Education. Annual Conference. North Carolina Community Health Center Association. 2013 2013
- Test Item-Writing Workshop. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2013 - 2019 2013 - 2019
- Coding Conundrums: Integrating Medical Coding into the Curriculum. Annual Forum. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2012 2012
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Outreach & Engaged Scholarship
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Service to the Profession
- Education/Professional Practice Committee Chair . Association for PA's in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2019 2019
- Table leader. End of Curriculum Standards Setting Panelist. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2019 2019
- Chair. PACKRAT Exam Development Board. Physician Assistant Education Association. July 2017 - April 2022 2017 - 2022
- Application Reviewer . PA Foundation IMPACT Grant . American Academy of Physician Assistants. 2016 2016
- Director at Large. Association for PA's in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2014 - 2019 2014 - 2019
- Commitee member, Item Writer. PACKRAT Exam Development Board. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2012 - 2017 2012 - 2017
- Faculty Reviewer. Student Writing Competition. Physician Assistant Education Association. 2012 - 2014 2012 - 2014
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Service to Duke
- Duke PA Program. Faculty Search Commitee. 2022 - 2022 2022
- Member. Duke Occupational Therapy Program Academic Fieldwork Coordinator Search Committee. 2019 - 2019 2019
- Duke AHEAD Steering Committee. 2017 - 2022 2017 - 2022
- Duke Physician Assistant Program. Program Evaluation. 2015 - 2022 2015 - 2022
- PA Representative. Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Planning Group. Duke University School of Medicine. 2015 - 2017 2015 - 2017
- MMI Rater. SOM Admissions Committee. Duke University School of Medicine. 2013 - 2015 2013 - 2015
- Planning Committee. Community Health Engagement Day. Duke University School of Medicine. 2012 - 2013 2012 - 2013
- Duke Physician Assistant Program. Security, Health and Safety. 2012 - 2018 2012 - 2018
- Duke Physician Assistant Program. Admissions Committee. 2011 - 2022 2011 - 2022
- Duke Physician Assistant Program. Curriculum Committee. 2011 - 2022 2011 - 2022
- Duke Physician Assistant Program. Progress and Promotion. 2011 - 2022 2011 - 2022
- Duke Family Medicine PA Representative. CFM- Student Programs Committee. Duke University School of Medicine. 2009 - 2010 2009 - 2010
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