Principal Faculty

Dr. Nelson is the Director of Pre-Clerkship Education and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care. She completed her PA education in the Stanford/Foothill College Primary Care Associate Program and received a Master of Medical Science Degree from St. Francis University. She has been practicing clinically and working in PA education since 2015. She is passionate about justice and health equity and is a founding member and Co-Chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee of the MSPA program, called BE HEARD (Belonging, Empathy, Health Equity, Anti-Racism, and Diversity). Her clinical experience includes cardiac critical care medicine, trauma and acute care surgery, and urgent care medicine. When not working with the MSPA program, she works in the Stanford Express Care Clinic.

Dr. Wijesinghe is the Associate Director of Clerkship Education and the Director of Career Development, and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care. He is also the Clinical Site Director for the Central Valley California region. He completed his PA education at Union Adventist University where he received a Master's in PA Studies. He also has a Master's in Management Information Systems from the University of Nebraska, and a Doctor of Health Science degree with an emphasis in Global Health from A.T. Still University. Dr. Wijesinghe completed an HIV Clinical Fellowship at UCSF Fresno; he has been a HIV specialist since 2015 and has worked in primary care medicine since 2010, primarily in under-served communities. He has been involved in medical education since 2014. His clinical interests include primary care medicine, HIV medicine, and global health.

Ms. Charlene Chow is a principal faculty member. She completed her PA education at Oregon Health and Science University in 2013, where she received a master's degree in PA Studies. She completed an Advanced Practice Provider Administrative Fellowship at Stanford Health Care in 2022, and currently works in surgical oncology.

Ms. Nieman is the interim Director of Clerkship Education and serves as a principal faculty member. She received her Master of Healthcare Systems degree from the University of Denver and a graduate certificate in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences and is a licensed Medical Laboratory Scientist. With over 20 years’ experience as a PA educator, Ms. Nieman has been actively involved in faculty development for the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR). In addition to healthcare quality improvement and patient safety, her teaching interests include prevention medicine, population health, and professional clinical practice for physician assistants. Her clinical experience includes geriatrics, hospice and palliative care, internal medicine, and adolescent health.