Lori McVay ’09 knew that Shenandoah University was where she was supposed to be after her interview with the Division of Physician Assistant Studies. She was instantly impressed by the facilities and was comfortable with the members of the Shenandoah community. No other school she looked at could compare.
“As I looked at other schools, I always came back to Shenandoah and knew it was the right school for me,” said McVay.
One of McVay’s fondest memories during her time at Shenandoah was participating in a medical mission trip to Nicaragua. She found it rewarding to use what she had learned in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations, helping others.
McVay is the program director for the Centra Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) Fellowship Programs in Lynchburg, Virginia. As a cardiology physician assistant (PA), McVay sees patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings. She has also developed the General Cardiology PA Fellowship, which is a nine-month program for new or recent graduate PAs who want more advanced training in cardiovascular medicine. McVay is also responsible for recruitment, interviews, orientation, advising and accreditation for the program.
McVay’s most rewarding experience in this role is being able to create a program where she can mentor and coach PAs into leaders that will provide quality care to cardiovascular patients. “Seeing others grow, develop, and make positive impacts on patient care has been one of the great joys of my career,” said McVay.
Throughout her career, McVay has received multiple awards, which include the Centra HVI APP Achievement Award, the Centra Medical Group Rising Star Leader and the Virginia Academy of PAs Physician/PA Partnership Award.
Before her current role, she held several positions at HVI, including director of clinical practice improvement and lead of structural heart services. McVay was also an adjunct faculty with the University of Lynchburg PA Medicine Program.
Shenandoah prepared McVay for her career by providing her with an environment of continual growth and development. As a student in the PA program, she constantly felt like she was growing due to the strong leadership within the faculty of the division. She also felt that the PA program placed a strong emphasis on excellence, which also contributed to her development.
McVay’s advice to current and future students is: “Focus on learning and the rest will come.”