PA Dream Becoming Reality for Mathews

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

Four years ago, we profiled Emma Li Mathews, MSPAS, PA-C, then a new student in UK’s Physician Assistant Program.

The Morehead, Ky., native had previously applied for the program but had been denied, so she waited a whole year to try again, and on her second chance, she got in, and studied at the Morehead campus. Now, she's graduated from the CHS PA residency program. 

We wanted to run her story again, as Friday is the 30th anniversary of the PA presence in Morehead, and we'll be celebrating from 5:30-8 p.m., Friday in the CHER Building Ballroom, at 316 W. Second St. in Morehead.

Mathews acknowledged how much the program meant to her. 

"I attended the UK PA program at the Morehead Campus. During my clinical rotations, I developed a deeper appreciation for hospital medicine and the variety of cases it involves," Mathews said. "The idea of being part of a team that comes together to prioritize a patient's best outcome is something I truly value."

Let's revisit Mathews when she was at the start of her journey, the day when accepted applicants visited their respective campuses, and just before their Blue Carpet Premiere:

(Portions of this story ran on Sept. 15, 2022):
 

“Always in the back of my mind, I knew who I was, and what I wanted — and that was to help people,” said Mathews, a Morehead, Ky., native. “At the end of the day, I wanted to be a Physician Assistant. I think this day will really feel like the dream is coming true.”

Students will meet at the Center for Health Education & Research (CHER 102) at the Morehead Campus and hear presentations from UK Financial Aid, UKPA Residencies, CHS Alumni Services and others. They will also be able to meet and mingle with faculty and staff.

“I’m very excited,” Mathews said. “What led me to UK was their focus on rural healthcare. That really appealed to me. I know I’ve been in Morehead for a long time, but it really makes you appreciate being in a community like this. It’s a beautiful environment with a lot of creativity ingenuity. And there’s just a really good mixture of people who all have something to bring to the table.”

After graduating from Morehead State with a degree in Biomedical Sciences, Mathews applied to UK’s PA school, but did not get in. She spent the ensuing year working at two different long-term care facilities, as well as a hospital, where she was able to improve her patient relations and focus on understanding why she felt this was the career she wanted to pursue.

“That was a driving force for me,” she said. “Focusing on the people, the population we serve. It was all a really positive experience.”

And she’s been looking forward to the Blue Carpet Premiere celebration.

“It’s the opportunity to finally meet the peers that I’m going to be working alongside for the next few years or so, and to finally exhale, and say we did it,” she said. “Now we get to celebrate with each other, and finally figure out what it means to be — and how to become a better — physician assistant.”
 

Come Celebrate with Us!

WHAT: UK College of Health Sciences Physician Assistant Studies Morehead 30th Anniversary Celebration

WHEN: 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

WHERE: CHER Building Ballroom, 316 W. Second St., Morehead, KY 40351

DRESS: Business casual or scrubs for those coming from clinic

RSVP: Respond through the event invitation

Come celebrate the people, partnerships and purpose that have made the Morehead campus part of eastern Kentucky's health care story for 30 years.