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AMHERST, N.Y. – Allyson Kirk, assistant professor of physician assistant studies at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ College, has been named the 2015 PA Educator of the Year by the New York State Society of Physician Assistants. This is the fifth time in the past decade a Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ faculty member has received this prestigious statewide honor.

As a faculty member in Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s PA Program, Kirk teaches primarily in the area of behavioral and preventative medicine. She has worked on expanding the use of standardized patients, or individuals who are trained to portray a patient in a medical situation, as an educational component in the PA program.

In addition to teaching in the classroom, Kirk is an advisor to the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ Students Without Borders organization and has participated with the group in providing medical and humanitarian aid in the Dominican Republic. She also oversees an annual charity dinner run by PA students.

Kirk, who has been a clinically practicing PA for 15 years, has spent most of her career in internal medicine and is currently practicing at Buffalo Amherst Allergy.

She earned a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of Nebraska, and a bachelor’s degree in PA studies from D’Youville College.

A West Seneca resident, Kirk is an active volunteer in the Orchard Park School District, a coach for Girls on the Run, and a member of the Southtowns YMCA Board of Managers.