Bay Path’s Physician Assistant Students Win 2017 MAPA Challenge Bowl

On Saturday, December 2, 2017, Bay Path University’s Physician Assistant (PA) students participated in and won the Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants (MAPA) Student Medical Challenge Bowl. The Challenge Bowl was held at the Boston Aquarium as part of the MAPA Fall CME Conference where students from Massachusetts and Rhode Island PA programs competed in a Jeopardy-style medical knowledge competition. 

This year, the team was comprised of five students, including three first-year PA students new to the competition. The team went up against primarily second-year student teams who have previously competed in the Challenge Bowl. Participants included Drew Chapman, Joseph Downs, Mark Sorel, Micala Smith, and Kylee Richmond. 

"It was an honor to compete with fellow students and future colleagues from around the state,” competitor and student Drew Chapman ’19 said. “Taking the trophy home validated the hard work that our instructors, our classmates, and each of us as individuals have put into our education thus far." 

Susan Rooney, Director of Clinical Education and the Challenge Bowl coach for Bay Path, believes that participating in the event reflects the teamwork, strength, and readiness of the students and graduate program: 

“It was truly spectacular to see our first-year graduate students compete against teams from PA Programs all across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Bay Path University, PA Program team, was composed of three first-year graduate PA students who have only been in the PA Program for six months. It was exhilarating to see the three members compete with half a dozen other BPU PA students supporting them in the stands - from both the Class of 2018 and Class of 2019.” 

While there was no final score, the team won each round and beat Boston University by one question in the final round. Many people attended the event, including alumni, to support the students during the competition. 

“As a member of the audience support team, we were all on the edge of our seats waiting for every question and answer – we couldn’t help but cheer with each correct response,” Rooney explained.  “It was an emotional rollercoaster for the entire two-hour event.” 

This is the second time the team has won the competition since 2014, and they look forward to many more opportunities to put their knowledge to the test.