Allison Rusgo, PA-C, PhD, joined the faculty of the Physician Assistant Department in April 2016. Before she transitioned into academia, she practiced clinically in both emergency medicine and internal medicine. Rusgo earned a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Rochester in 2008. She went on to receive a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health and Community Development from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in 2010. In 2012, she completed her Master of Health Sciences through Drexel University’s PA Program. In 2025, she earned a PhD in Community Health and Prevention from Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. Within the Physician Assistant Department, Rusgo serves as director of Didactic Education. She directs multiple courses, leads labs and seminars, and maintains a strong commitment to serving learning. Rusgo's research focuses on community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods, reflecting her dedication to collaborative and community-driven approaches to health. Nationally, she contributes to the advancement of the PA profession as a department editor for the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and as a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association’s (PAEA) Examination Development Board.

Professional Society

Selected Publications

• Rusgo, Allison, et al (2021). "Evidenced- Based Assessment of the Heart and Circulatory System "Evidence-Based Physical Examination: Best Practice for Health and Well-Being Assessment, edited by Alice M. Teall et al., New York, Springer Publishing, 2021, pp. 103-56.
• Rusgo, A. (2019). Cardiovascular review. In C. Harris (Ed.), Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practice Guidelines. New York, NY: Springer. ISBN-13: 978-0826170040
• Rusgo, A., & Auth, P. (2019). Musculoskeletal review. In J. Kinzel & P. Auth (Eds.), PA Review for the PANCE (5th ed., pp. 217-254). Wolters Kluwer. ISBN-13: 978-1496384188
• Rusgo, A. (2019). Advanced health assessment of the cardiovascular system. In K. M. Myrick & L. M. Karosas (Eds.), Advanced Health Assessment and Differential Diagnosis Essentials for Clinical Practice (pp. 159-204). New York, NY: Springer.
• Rusgo, A., Carraro, M., Niehaus, M., Reynolds, S., & Jacoby, J. (2016). An unusual cause of abdominal pain in pregnancy: omental infarction. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Editorial review board membership:

Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (Department Editor: A Difficult Diagnosis)

Research Interests

Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Global Health, Peer-Based Learning

Specialization

• MHS Drexel University: Physician Assistant Program (Dec 2012)
  Pi Alpha Honor Society Inductee
• MPH Emory University: Rollins School of Public Health (June 2010)
  Concentration: Global Health/Community Health & Development
  Graduate Thesis: Examining the Influence of Peers on Sexual Behavior
  within Migrant Populations: A Case Study of Israel’s Ethiopian Immigrants
• BA University of Rochester, French Honors Program (June 2008)
  Minor: Biology
  Highest Distinction/ Highest Research Honors: Dept. Modern Languages