From UK student to neurology PA resident, Daisy Zhang embraces opportunity

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

For Daisy Zhang, MSPAS, PA-C, the University of Kentucky has been more than a place to earn a degree.

It's been home.

Zhang, who grew up in Shenzhen, China, moved to Lexington in high school and eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from UK in 2022. She returned to UK's Department of Physician Assistant Studies, and now serves as a resident in the PA Academic Residency Program at the UK Neuroscience Institute.

Her journey is one example of the opportunities and experiences that will be celebrated at the University of Kentucky Physician Assistant Academic Residency Program Celebration from 6-8 p.m. at the Signature Club in Lexington.

For Zhang, staying at UK for PA school was an easy decision.

“UK has been such a meaningful part of my life and has given me an incredible community of support,” she said.

While an undergraduate student, Zhang was involved with the UK Pre-PA Club, giving her an early connection to the PA program and the people within it.

“When it came time to choose a PA school, I knew I wanted to stay somewhere that already felt like home and where I had a strong support system around me,” she said.

Finding her path

Zhang first learned about the PA profession while she was in high school.

She was drawn to the opportunity to build relationships with patients, help them feel better and work alongside others to solve problems.

She also liked the flexibility the profession could provide.

“One of the things I love most about being a PA is the flexibility to change specialties throughout my career,” Zhang said. “I have always been interested in many different areas of medicine, so having the ability to explore different specialties was really important to me.”

That curiosity has served her well.

After graduating from UKPA, Zhang began a one-year postgraduate academic residency in neurology at the UK Neuroscience Institute, allowing her to make the transition from student to practicing PA while continuing to learn from neurologists and advanced practice providers in an academic medical center.

The residency is part of UK’s Physician Assistant Academic Residency Program, which was created in 2020 to provide specialized postgraduate training for newly graduated PAs. The program now offers eight clinical tracks across five medical facilities throughout Kentucky and is designed to combine advanced clinical training with academic opportunities, leadership development, teaching and research.

For Zhang, the experience has provided a bridge between the classroom and her career.

“UKPA has played a huge role in preparing me for my career,” she said. “The program gave me a strong foundation in PA school, helped coordinate my clinical rotations and electives, and prepared me to successfully pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).”

Taking her education around the world

One of the most memorable parts of Zhang’s residency experience came far from Lexington.

She participated in an international rotation in the Netherlands and Germany, an opportunity she knew she could not pass up.

“I knew I had to say yes!” Zhang said.

The experience gave her the chance to learn about different healthcare systems and approaches to patient care while also experiencing everyday life in Europe.

She and her co-resident, Sam, traveled through Portugal and Spain before beginning their rotations.

They rode trains. They tried new foods. They biked through cities. And they stepped outside of the routines they knew.

“It was exciting to step outside of my normal routine, experience new cultures, and see how people live and approach healthcare in different parts of the world,” Zhang said.

She expected to learn more about healthcare in the Netherlands and Germany and compare those systems with the United States.

She came away with much more.

Zhang met faculty and preceptors, developed friendships with PA students and gained a broader perspective on healthcare. She also said the experience helped her grow personally, becoming more independent and comfortable outside of her normal environment.

The international experience has continued to influence the way she thinks about her own practice.

“Seeing different healthcare systems and approaches has given me perspectives that I can bring back to my own practice,” she said. “It has reinforced for me how important it is to take the time to focus on prevention and help patients manage their neurological conditions over the long term.”

A program built for what comes next

Zhang’s experience illustrates one of the central ideas behind the UK PA Academic Residency Program: PA education does not have to end when students receive their degrees.

The program was developed in response to healthcare workforce needs and provides recent PA graduates with the opportunity to gain additional specialty training while working with clinical partners across Kentucky.

In its first five years, the program trained more than 40 residents, with graduates going on to work, lead and serve communities across the Commonwealth and beyond.

For Zhang, the program has provided an opportunity to continue learning while beginning her career. And it has reinforced something she already understood about UK: Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones that are right in front of you.

Her advice to students considering PA school at UK is simple.

“It is a challenging career path, but it is incredibly rewarding and worth the hard work,” Zhang said. “You build lifelong friendships and become part of a really supportive community.”

She encourages prospective students to get involved, ask questions and remain open to discovering what areas of medicine interest them.

“Take advantage of the opportunities around you, get involved, and be open to discovering what areas of medicine you enjoy,” she said. “You never know where the PA profession, or your experience at UK might take you.”

For Zhang, it has taken her from Shenzhen to Lexington, from dietetics to physician assistant studies and now from a UK classroom into the world of neurology.

And she is still learning where it might take her next.