OHSU School of Medicine alumna Maggie Judd, M.P.A.S. ’22, works as a primary care physician assistant at Central City Concern’s (CCC) Old Town clinic in Portland, where she remains committed to her personal mission to care for the underserved.
“I really enjoy talking with people who haven’t been heard, talking with an historically marginalized population,” Judd says. “That’s a personally fulfilling way for me to make connections with my patients and feel satisfied with what I’m doing.”
“We want to beef up the alumni network because OHSU is integrated throughout Oregon and so many people have come through”
Maggie Judd, M.P.A.S. ’22
After graduating from the University of Portland with a B.S. in chemistry and biochemistry, Judd signed up with the Peace Corps, volunteering not once, but twice. Her service in Guinea was cancelled because of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. A year later, she volunteered with the Peace Corps again, this time completing 27 months of service in The Gambia. Having grown up in Tigard, Judd was excited to expand her world view.
“I felt like I had lived my whole life in one place. I wanted to experience something completely different,” Judd says.
In The Gambia, Judd’s role was to address the lack of health literacy by conducting one-on-one education, working primarily with women and supporting maternal-child health care. She also connected with local community members, asking people what they wanted and helping assess village needs.
One crucial need quickly became apparent — easily contaminated open wells were the village’s only water sources. To address this concern, Judd wrote a grant requesting support to convert an open well into a solar borehole pump system. The grant was accepted, and Judd supervised the pump’s installation, creating a closed water source that pushed uncontaminated water into a tank that fed taps around the village.
“That was really a valuable experience,” Judd says.
Following her Peace Corps service, Judd worked as a clinic coordinator at CCC, where she saw the need for more primary care providers. She often worked with physician assistants and realized how crucial they were in providing patient care, inspiring her to become a PA.
“That really appealed to me,” Judd says. “To be able to take the knowledge I already had and to complete a shorter program and get out and meet the need quicker.”
Attending the M.P.A.S. program at the OHSU School of Medicine was a natural fit. Judd’s father worked at OHSU, so she felt as though she grew up on the campus. She was drawn to the program’s focus on primary care. The large number of OHSU graduates who remain in Oregon supporting health care throughout the state also appealed to her.
Judd appreciates that the OHSU PA curriculum included a mix of inpatient and outpatient rotations in both urban and rural settings. Her clinical experience at OHSU continues to shape her current patient care, guiding her referrals and recommendations. She also values the support she experienced from her PA program advisor, Katie Caba, M.H.S., PA-C, and is thankful for the mentorship she felt and still receives from CCC colleague and OHSU alumna Pat Buckley, M.P.A.S. ’10, PA-C, ND, WCC.
Much of the patient population in Judd’s care at CCC experience houselessness. Primary ailments among her patients include substance use disorders and chronic wounds.
“Chronic wound care is especially challenging for folks who live outside or have very limited access to bathing facilities,” Judd says.
Judd always keeps social determinants in mind when meeting with patients, asking them about resources they can access before making a treatment plan. There may be a textbook method for treating her patient’s health concerns, but she adjusts her recommendations to fit the best available option.
“I try to always be adaptive and think outside the box,” Judd says.
Judd recognizes the importance of self-care if she wants to continue offering her best patient care. Her self-care routine includes listening to live music around Portland, biking, running and dancing, especially Zumba dancing. She also keeps up with her classmates through social media and regularly connects with her good friend, Karleigh Taylor, M.P.A.S. ’22.
Taylor is the president of the OHSU PA Alumni Chapter and convinced Judd to join the chapter leadership team as vice-president.
“We decided we’re a complementary set,” Judd says.
Taylor, Judd and co-chapter leader Morgan Logan, M.P.A.S. ’23, want the OHSU PA Alumni Chapter to be a place where alumni can connect and network but also gather to relax and enjoy being in the company of people with a shared experience. As chapter leaders, they continue to make plans for events that will appeal to PA alumni in various life stages, including family events and gatherings for adults. “We want to beef up the alumni network because OHSU is integrated throughout Oregon and so many people have come through,” Judd says. “Our goal is to be a spot where people can connect and network and see what’s going on with other people. I’m excited.”
