Bill Parker, UAB PA, Class of 1972Bill Parker, a 1972 graduate of the UAB Physician Assistant Studies program, has established the first endowed scholarship for the program. The Bill Parker Endowed Scholarship in Physician Assistant Studies will provide scholarships for current and future students – it will be awarded for the first time in the spring.

“When I came to UAB, I barely had enough money to eat,” said Parker. “The UAB community took a chance on me and they invested in me. That changed my life.”

Since then, Parker has worked as an orthopaedic PA for more than 44 years. His career includes more than 28 years of active service in the military – he credits his four years in the U.S. Air Force for his love of surgery.

Parker has spent the past 18 years working with Kenneth Bramlett, MD, at the Alabama Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham. He has often thought about the impact UAB PA had on his life.

“The UAB PA program gave me the opportunity to have a career where I enjoy what I do and every day I am able to improve another person’s quality of life – there are not many people in the world who can say that,” said Parker. “Helping others is a special feeling I don’t want to lose when my PA career ends. Establishing this endowed scholarship means I can continue to have a positive impact on people’s lives forever – and again, there are not many people who can say that.”