Local View: National model for health care innovation is emerging in Duluth – Duluth News Tribune

In January, my column in the News Tribune, “

From Dylan to dukkha, health care innovation ripe in Duluth

,” explored how our city could become a proving ground for solving one of health care’s most urgent problems: retaining and elevating physician associates, or PAs, in a stressed system.

Since then, the momentum has only grown, and the College of St. Scholastica is emerging as a hub for ideas and partnerships that could influence health care far beyond Minnesota.

The college is in the exploratory stages of designing an integrated pathway that would connect postgraduate clinical fellowships for physician associates with doctoral-level training. The vision is to prepare highly skilled clinical leaders who can expand access, improve retention, and strengthen care delivery in communities across Minnesota and beyond.

This effort builds on St. Scholastica’s long history of working with leading health systems to meet workforce needs. Conversations are currently underway with one of Minnesota’s largest health systems to explore co-developing and piloting this type of model. A joint survey concept is in the planning stages to help better understand interest across that system’s clinical network. This collaborative approach is intended to produce a scalable model, one that could be adapted for additional partners and regions in the future.

Even in these early stages, the concept is drawing national visibility. Recent op-eds in MinnPost, The Providence Journal, and KevinMD have highlighted the opportunity for Minnesota — and Duluth in particular — to lead in closing health care gaps.

The College of St. Scholastica is also slated to present innovative primary care workforce strategies at PAEA 2025, the largest academic gathering for PA education. While the fellowship-to-doctoral concept is still being shaped, the conference will offer a national platform to showcase Duluth as an epicenter of forward-thinking solutions.

Workforce shortages in health care aren’t abstract statistics. They directly affect access, continuity, and quality of care in every community. Developing sustainable, structured pathways for PA growth and retention is both a professional priority and a community imperative.

With its mission-driven focus, academic excellence, and deep community ties, St. Scholastica is well-positioned to guide this work. By aligning PA education with evolving workforce needs, the college can help build a health care system where access, quality, and sustainability reinforce each other.

The next chapter in this story may begin right here, in a city known for its resilience, creativity, and ability to lead. And when it does, Duluth could stand as a model for how academic vision and community partnership can reshape the future of care.

Kenneth Botelho is director of the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) Program in the Department of Medical Science at the College of St. Scholastica.

(Contributed / Kenneth Botelho)