Education
- BA , Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Denver
- Certification, Utah Physician Assistant Program, University of Utah
- MS, Kinesiology, University of Colorado, Boulder . Project: Elevated heart rate variability in physically active postmenopausal women: a cardioprotective effect?
- PhD, College of Health and Human Services , Trident University International. Project: Dissertation: Examining a current practice culture using the social determinants of health as a baseline to develop a transformative education curriculum for a primary care health workforce in India
Biography
Nadia is an Associate Professor in the Division of Family Medicine, within the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine.
As a clinical physician assistant, Nadia cares for patients at the University of Utah Centerville Health Center. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including an inner city ER, occupational medicine, geriatrics and refugee health.
Prior to joining the Division of Family Medicine, she was with the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program for 17 years. Her focus with them was clinical placement, clinical evaluation, teaching, mentorship with a focus on the mission of helping develop the next generation of physician assistants in primary care with a focus on health equity globally.
Nadia’s engagement at the university level has included representing the School of Medicine as an Academic Senator, serving on the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, Steering Committee of the Health Sciences Global Health Committee, Bennion Center Service Learning Class Committee, University Hospital & Clinics Interdisciplinary Credentialing Committee, UNP Hartland Health Committee, to name a few.
She has been honored to represent the University of Utah nationally and internationally while working with the World Health Organization, Global Health Workforce Network, Training for Health Equity Network (THEnet), India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ghana’s Ministry of Health, among others.
Her work has earned her national and international recognition with awards including the American Academy of Physician Assistants Humanitarian of the Year Award (2014), Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award/ India (2016), and the Core Faculty Award by the students of Class 48 at the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program.
Nadia was born in Nairobi, Kenya and traveled extensively as a young child while her father worked for the Associated Press. At the age of 17, she began her career as a professional ballet dancer with Ballet West here in Salt Lake City. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a BA in Neuroscience and a MS in Kinesiology. She graduated from the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program (UPAP) in 1997. She graduated with her PhD from Trident University International in 2019.