Baylor University’s Robbins College Announces Dr. Heather Delaney as Medical Director for the New Physician Assistant Studies Program
Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Heather Delaney, MD, CHSE, FAAP, as Medical Director of the University’s new Physician Assistant Studies program. Delaney is a double Board-Certified Pediatrician and Neonatologist with over 20 years of broad experiences in the medical field.
“The PA program is blessed to have Dr. Delaney serve in the role of Medical Director,” said Meredith Quinene, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, Director of Baylor’s Physician Assistant Studies program. “Dr. Delaney has long been a fierce advocate for the PA profession, as evidenced by her creation of a PA neonatal fellowship in 2019 and her commitment to the collaborative interdisciplinary healthcare team. The wide breadth of clinical, educational, and research expertise that Dr. Delaney brings is only outweighed by her caring and passionate nature. We are excited to have her as part of the PA program, Robbins College, and Baylor University family.”
Physician assistant degree programs are required to hire a Medical Director by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The individual who fills the position must be a currently licensed allopathic or osteopathic physician certified by an ABMS- or AOA-approved specialty board. She or he must be an active participant in the program and support the development of the program competencies to meet current practice standards as they related to the physician assistant role.
With respect to meeting and exceeding the requirements of the position, Delaney’s background and experience are exceptional. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado before earning her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where she was honored as the Air Force Graduate of the Year. Delaney completed her internship in general pediatrics at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio and her residency in general pediatrics and fellowship in neonatology at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. She served as both Chief Resident and Chief Fellow during her respective programs at Tripler.
Delaney is a 17-year Veteran of the US Air Force and Army. In addition to her work as a practitioner, she is an avid clinical researcher and experienced teacher. Delaney’s areas of expertise include healthcare education, simulation and quality, clinical research, and healthcare leadership. She is the former Director of the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) Simulation Center, where she was responsible for the oversight of 70,000 hours of simulation yearly across all disciplines. She also served at the Director of Education within the Baptist Health System for Neonatal Services where she built a neonatal PA Fellowship Program from the ground-up for a prestigious nationally recognized neonatal group.
Delaney is married to an Active-Duty service member of the US Army and has two girls, both of whom were born in Hawaii. When she is not busy teaching, taking care of neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), or leading clinical research, you can find her spending time with her family, traveling or cooking.
“I am honored to join the Baylor Family helping to build a world-class Physician Assistant Studies program,” Delaney said. “I look forward to working with Dr. Quinene and my new Baylor colleagues to develop skilled and compassionate PAs as part of a collaborative healthcare team.”
The Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree was approved by the Baylor Board of Regents in their May 2023 meeting. Housed in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, this hybrid degree program will develop highly skilled, mindful, and empathetic Physician Assistants who are able to provide optimal care for patients, contribute significantly to team-based care, effectively navigate the complex health care system, and promote wellness in their communities.
Baylor University has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and anticipates matriculating its first class in October 2025, pending achieving Accreditation - Provisional status at the June 2025 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.
ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences at Baylor University seeks to prepare leaders in health and quality of life through science, scholarship and innovation. Together, the departments housed within the Robbins College – Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; Public Health; and a number of Army-Baylor graduate programs – promote a team-based approach to transformational education and research, establishing interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance solutions for improving quality of life for individuals, families and communities. For more information, visit the Robbins College website.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.