Hannah Daniels Lovely's physician assistant journey started at MSU

Growing up in Hazard, Hannah Daniels Lovely (Class of 2023) recognized the needs of her region and chose her career in part to make a positive impact.

"I decided to pursue a career in medicine because I wanted to serve the people of rural Kentucky and help improve access to quality healthcare in underserved communities," she said. "I chose the PA (physician assistant) profession because it allows me to help close healthcare gaps, provides the flexibility to work across specialties, and supports a healthy work-life balance while making a meaningful impact on patients' lives."

As a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky's Physician Assistant (UKPA) program, earning high marks along the way, Daniels Lovely said she owes much of her success in that program to the preparation and support she received at Morehead State University.

As a prospective student, she knew that MSU's science programs, specifically the biomedical sciences program, had a great reputation for preparing students for various graduate programs. She also loved the campus's rolling hills that reminded her of home. While earning her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, she received the Outstanding Pre-PA Student Award and made lifelong friends through her involvement in Kappa Delta and the MSU Pre-PA Club.

Daniels Lovely said the academic rigor of the biomedical sciences program gave her the foundation she needed to understand subjects such as anatomy, cell biology, and microbiology, while also helping her develop study habits that made for a smoother transition to PA school. When the time came to choose a school, she opted to complete the UKPA program at the Morehead campus to remain connected to the people she wanted to serve the most.

"I chose to apply to the UKPA Morehead Campus for PA school so that I could focus more heavily on rural medicine, learning how to more specifically help meet the needs of the population I am passionate about caring for," she said.

While earning her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from UK this year, Daniels Lovely was also named the UKPA Morehead Campus Outstanding PA Student.

"I was honored to be selected by the UKPA faculty to receive the Outstanding PA Award. Receiving this recognition was especially meaningful because it reminded me of earning the Outstanding Pre-PA Student Award as an undergraduate," she said. "Looking back, it was rewarding to reflect on how much I have grown through the support of my mentors, classmates, and experiences along the way."

"We make a deliberate effort to recognize recipients who either grew up in the Eastern Kentucky region and/or graduated from Morehead State University, as a way to demonstrate our strong support for MSU and to highlight that exceptional medical providers can come from our local communities," said Jessica Pennington (Class of 2009, 2013), staff support associate with UK's Department of Physician Assistant Studies.

As she charts her career path to make the biggest possible difference, Daniels Lovely says the combination of preparation, mentorship and community at Morehead State gave her what she needed to feel ready for whatever comes next.

"I will carry with me the values of service, perseverance, and lifelong learning that MSU helped cultivate," she said. "The strong educational foundation, supportive mentors, and sense of community I found at Morehead State have prepared me to pursue my career goals with confidence and to make a meaningful difference in the lives of my patients."

To learn more about programs in MSU's College of Science & Engineering, email dsci@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2626.