Fullerton-based Marshall B. Ketchum University named Judy Ortiz the first dean of its College of Health Sciences and director of its new School of Physician Assistant Studies.
Ketchum operates the Southern California College of Optometry and has recently begun to expand into other areas of healthcare education.
Ortiz joins Ketchum from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., where she worked in the physician assistant’s program before becoming director of it in 2011. Pacific University has professional accreditation from a physician assistant-specific group.
Ketchum has general accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. It has five years to gain full accreditation for its physician assistant program.
The first physician assistant classes begin this fall, with 28 students pursuing the two-year master’s in medical science degree.
