Patel first returned to MidState Medical Center in Meriden, Connecticut, as a volunteer, working as a patient aide and observing the fast-paced world of healthcare from the inside. At that time, she was unfamiliar with the title “physician assistant,” but deeply curious about the professionals she saw caring for patients around her.

“When I started volunteering at MidState my freshman year in high school, I had no idea what a physician assistant was,” said Patel. “I started researching the profession and knew I wanted to follow this path. This ultimately led me to applying to direct-entry PA programs, and Quinnipiac’s physician assistant program was my No. 1 choice.”

Today, as Patel approaches graduation, her journey has come “full circle” in a way she could never have predicted. As a second-year Quinnipiac PA student in the Master of Health Sciences program, Patel is completing a whirlwind tour with rotations in emergency medicine, surgery, primary care, internal medicine, and now OB/GYN.

Her path has led her back to MidState Medical Center, the place where her story first began.

“It’s kind of surreal,” said Patel. “When I opened my school’s rotation platform and saw I’d be coming back to MidState, I couldn’t believe it. We don’t get to choose the locations of our core rotations, but I had the hope of being placed here. And then it happened.”

During her rotation, Patel has been mentored by on-site preceptors and Quinnipiac alumni Sarah Winter, MHS ’06, and Julia Watters, MHS ’21. A defining moment came on her first day, when Patel casually shared with Watters that she thought the physician who delivered her at birth might still be practicing at MidState. Watters soon realized that her colleague, Daniel Dennehy, MD, was in fact that same physician and quickly arranged an introduction. Adding to the remarkable coincidence, they discovered that just days later, on January 2, Dennehy would once again be in the operating room, scheduled to perform a C-section.

Today, as Patel approaches graduation, her journey has come “full circle” in a way she could never have predicted. As a second-year Quinnipiac PA student in Quinnipiac’s Master of Health Sciences program, Patel is completing a whirlwind tour with rotations in emergency medicine, surgery, primary care, internal medicine, and now OB/GYN.

Her path has led her back to MidState Medical Center, the place where her story first began. 

“It’s kind of surreal,” said Patel. “When I opened my school’s rotation platform and saw I’d be coming back to MidState, I couldn’t believe it. We don’t get to choose the locations of our core rotations, but I had the hope of being placed here. And then it happened.”

During her rotation, Patel has been mentored by on-site preceptors and Quinnipiac alumni Sarah Winter, MHS ’06, and Julia Watters, MHS ’21. A truly defining moment came on her first day, when Patel casually shared with Watters that she thought the physician who delivered her at birth might still be practicing at MidState. Watters soon realized that her colleague, Daniel Dennehy, MD, was in fact the physician who had delivered Patel and quickly arranged an introduction. Adding to the coincidence, they discovered that just days later, on January 2, Dr. Dennehy would once again be in the delivery room, scheduled to perform a C-section. 

“Do you want to assist?” Dr. Dennehy asked. Patel jumped at the chance. 

“To be in the operating room with him, my preceptors, Sarah and Julia, was incredible,” she said. “The baby was a little girl, born in January, just like me. I teared up. I couldn’t believe I was there. And Dr. Dennehy told everyone in the room the story of how he’d delivered me 24 years earlier. It felt like a dream. Like everything had come together.”

For Patel, this experience underscored the strength of the Quinnipiac alumni network and the impact of mentorship. Both Winter and Watters trained at Quinnipiac and now shape new generations of PAs through hands-on teaching and support.

“Seeing how connected our alumni are … working together, teaching, supporting students … makes the program really special,” said Patel. “It gives me confidence and pride in what I’m doing.”

“Our didactic year is intense, but it made me and my classmates feel incredibly well-prepared on clinicals,” said Patel. “Once I started rotations, I really saw how much that preparation translated into confidence in clincal settings.”

As a first-generation college student and the first in her family to enter medicine, Patel hopes her story inspires others, especially those unfamiliar with the PA profession or who grew up without medical role models.

“If someone reads this article and thinks, ‘I could do that,’ or wants to look up what a PA is, that would be amazing,” she said. “The field is growing so much; you can do anything as a PA, and you meet people from all walks of life.”

With graduation on the horizon, Patel isn’t entirely sure which specialty she’ll choose, but women’s health holds a special place in her heart. For now, she’s savoring the full-circle moments that remind her of how far she’s come.

“If I hadn’t volunteered at MidState, I probably wouldn’t have found this path,” said Patel. “Now I’m here, helping deliver babies where my own life began during my birthday month. It’s a story I couldn’t have planned. And I feel grateful and blessed every day.”