Sonia Otte

Sonia V. Otte Named KGI’s Founding Program Director for Physician Assistant Studies

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) Dean Martin Zdanowicz has announced Sonia V. Otte as the Founding Program Director for the new Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPA) program.

Based on the accreditation process timelines, KGI is aiming for a 2022 launch of the MSPA program.

“We are very excited to welcome Sonia as the Founding Director of our new MSPA program,” said Zdanowicz. “She brings a wealth of experience and great enthusiasm, and I am certain that under her direction, the program will be innovative, high-quality, and a great service to our community.”

Otte will lead the accreditation process with the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). She will also direct the MSPA program’s development.

“I am incredibly excited and honored to be in this role,” said Otte.

“It is truly a pivotal time for the physician assistant (PA) profession, and we plan to prepare our graduates to be at the forefront as compassionate clinicians, researchers, and future PA leaders.”

From 2012 to 2020, Otte was a practicing PA in South Florida, where she worked primarily in hospital medicine and medical dermatology. Originally from southeast Georgia, Otte graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia Honors Program with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with Pre-Medicine emphasis.

Following graduation, she worked at the American Cancer Society headquarters in Atlanta, GA, as an Internal Communications Manager. In 2010, she attended the Nova Southeastern University PA Program in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where she earned a Master of Medical Science and graduated as valedictorian of her class.

Following years of clinical practice, Otte transitioned into academia in 2016 at South University in West Palm Beach, FL. She served as an Assistant Professor, Director of Pre-Clinical Education, as well as a PA Education Consultant.

Since starting consulting in 2018, Otte successfully led PA program directors and new PA faculty through curriculum development at multiple applicant PA programs across the U.S. Otte is also a published contributor of a chapter within a prominent Physician Assistant board exam review book (PA Review for the PANCE Fifth Edition).

“I plan to leverage the power of KGI to build an innovative PA program that will encourage our future graduates to forge their own paths as physician assistants,” Otte said. “I look forward to creating strong roots here and serving our local community.”

To learn more about KGI’s MSPA program, visit kgi.edu/mspa.