Saha Establishes New Endowed Fund for PA Post-Graduate Education

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

For Sibu Saha, giving back is a family affair.

It’s something very personal to him, namely because the charge came directly from his own grandmother.

“My family has always thought it was important to give back,” said Saha, currently the UK Physician Assistant Program’s medical director and chief of transition to practice and advanced training programs (while also serving as a professor of surgery with a joint appointment in the College of Medicine and Pigman College of Engineering). “And when I wanted to give more, my grandmother was the one who said, ‘Your family is in Kentucky. You should give to the University and people who nurtured you.”

Over the past years, Saha had developed seven different endowments to benefit different programs across the University.

Now, it’s eight.

The College of Health Sciences has announced the establishment of a new endowed program support fund, made possible by another generous contribution from Dr. Saha. The fund, named the Saha Fund for the Saha Division of Post Graduate Education in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, will provide essential support for educational programs, training, and professional development opportunities within the Department of Physician Assistant Studies.

The new endowed fund is designated to support residents, doctoral students and fellows, enhancing their educational experience and preparing them to address critical healthcare needs.

Scott Lephart, PhD and Dean of the College of Health Sciences, expressed deep gratitude for the gift.

“We are profoundly grateful to Dr. Saha for his extraordinary generosity in establishing this new fund,” Lephart said. “This commitment will be transformative for the Department, directly enriching the educational experience, training opportunities, and professional development of our residents, doctoral students, and fellows. Dr. Saha’s investment ensures that our next generation of healthcare leaders will have the resources necessary to excel."

The establishment of the fund underscores Dr. Saha's commitment to improving healthcare access in the Commonwealth.

“Dr. Saha has spent his life dedicated to the people of Kentucky and this gift is just another example of this work,” said Virginia Valentin, Department Chair. “Dr. Saha wants to provide health care to all Kentuckians, and he knows that PAs are part of the solution to our health care access issue. Dr. Saha is a living example of generosity, and through him we will be able to directly impact students, faculty and future PAs.”

Ryan Hunton, DHSc, PA-C and Academic Residency Program Director, highlighted the fund's expected impact on the PA profession and state workforce.

"This generous gift will strengthen our ability to develop PA leaders and expert clinicians to meet the workforce needs of Kentucky,” he said. "Our residency and planned doctoral program set us apart as a department in being able to support PAs in their career development beyond clinical practice. Developing educators, healthcare and community leaders, scholars, and advocates speaks to the great mission of the Saha Division of Post-Graduate Studies."

Saha said education was always important in his family.

Originally from Bengal, India, where rheumatic heart disease was rampant, Saha saw an opportunity to make a difference. He got his degree in Bangladesh at Rajshahi Medical College, then came to America to be trained in heart surgery. He completed his residency at Ohio Valley Hospital in Steubenville, Ohio, and the University Hospital of Jacksonville in Florida. He then went to Charleston, S.C., where he completed his fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. 

Saha is certified with the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

He joined the University of Kentucky as a voluntary faculty member in 1987, and in May, CHS announced the naming of the Division of Physician Assistant Studies Post-Graduate Education in honor of Saha.

“Education is the key to your future,” he said. “This is how you improve yourself in the world. There were a lot of people who helped me when I was getting my education, and I want to continue to be able to help others.”

And the College of Health Sciences has always been a special place, Saha said.

“The College of Health Sciences, and the work Dr. Lephart and the faculty and staff have done, has been so admirable in helping to fill the need for health care workers in the state of Kentucky,” he said. “I want them to be able to continue to do so.”

The Saha Fund for the Saha Division of Post Graduate Education in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies is open to receiving additional contributions from individuals, organizations, and business entities who wish to support the mission of developing expert PA leaders.

Interested in making a gift? Visit our site here.