Final Letter From Outgoing UAPA President Viet Le, DMSc MPAS PA-C FACC FAHA HF-Cert President, Utah Academy of PAs (2024–2025) Immediate Past-President (2025–2026)

To my UAPA colleagues,

As my term as President of the Utah Academy of PAs (UAPA) ends on July 1, 2025, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to serve the physician associates/assistants and patients of Utah over the past year. It has been an honor to advocate for our profession and to witness the incredible growth and transformation within our community.

Over the past two years—first as President-Elect and then as President—I’ve had the privilege of representing UAPA in many ways. From speaking at PA Day on the Hill to attending national conferences such as AAPA, participating in quarterly AAPA constituent organization meetings, and representing UAPA within Intermountain Health, I’ve seen firsthand the strength and dedication of our PA community. I’ve been able to represent UAPA at meetings with the Utah Medical Association. I’ve also had the honor of celebrating new beginnings at the white coat and graduation ceremonies for Utah Valley University and Weber State University.

These have been years of progressive changes for our profession. The PA Licensure Compact, which began right here in Utah, now includes 17 states: Delaware, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Nebraska, Virginia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Montana, Kansas, and Iowa. Additionally, three states—Oregon (June 6, 2024), Maine (June 2, 2025), and New Hampshire (June 19, 2025)—have adopted the "Physician Associate" title into their practice acts. Legislative milestones such as SB 27 and SB 28 (2021) have significantly improved patient access to PAs, and the 2023 PA Licensure Compact is helping to streamline practice across state lines, expanding access to care in underserved areas. Utah is now home to four established PA programs: the University of Utah, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Weber State University, and Utah Valley University.

My personal mission this year was to enhance access to innovative, cutting-edge information for Utah PAs. We launched a monthly webinar series featuring industry partners and have worked on developing a second UAPA-hosted CME conference, to occur annually in the fall to complement our spring Red Rock CME Conference event.

Although my presidency is ending, I will continue to serve on the UAPA Executive Board as Immediate Past-President and remain active in national organizations advocating for our profession. I am thrilled that we will have fantastic leadership with Leslie Fabian, who will serve as the next President of UAPA, and Jared Green as our incoming President-Elect.

As I pass the torch, I leave you with this charge: identify your passion for medicine and the PA profession, and use your skills, knowledge, and voice to make a difference—whether in your clinic, health system, UAPA, or on the national stage. Our profession is only as strong as the people who step forward to lead it.

Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Warm regards,

Viet Le, DMSc MPAS PA-C FACC FAHA HF-Cert

President, Utah Academy of PAs (2024–2025)

Immediate Past-President (2025–2026)