Penina Smith
Los Angeles, CA GW (Athletic Training)
Penina Smith has the distinction of being the only PA who is also a certified athletic trainer. She had been fascinated by medicine ever since she dissected a sheep’s brain in eighth grade. Upon entering GW, she joined the Athletic Training program. While she enjoyed the classes in anatomy and physiology, she said that she didn’t much like having to be on call on the weekends and being at six a.m. football practice. During the course of her studies, she shadowed an orthopedic surgeon and met a PA and realized that being a PA might be a good career choice for her.
“I didn’t want to be a doctor since then I’d be stuck in one particular field,” she explained.
Smith also suffers from chronic migraines and is aware of how important it is for doctors to talk with each other. “I’m very aware of how important it is to work with different specialists that work together,” Smith said. She believes the condition will make her more sensitive to her patients. “I know what it’s like to be in pain.”
One of the factors that drew Smith to Touro is that it is possible to observe the Jewish holidays at the school without missing classes. “I feel comfortable that they understand all my needs and I know I’m not going to get that anywhere else,” she said.
She’s from the entertainment capital in the world and is super into pop culture and fandom. Smith is a huge Dr. Who fan (her favorite Doctor? David Tennant of course). Her wifi is named “Troy and Abed in the Modem,” which is a hilarious reference to something that only dedicated fans of the short-lived sitcom Community will understand.
