PA Week 2026: Meet Tufts PA Student Michael Cox

October 8, 2026

Michael Cox, PA28, shares how a passion for healthcare, advocacy and community led them to the PA profession and back to Tufts, where they are preparing to provide more human-centered care.

For PA Week 2026, we’re celebrating the students who are preparing to shape the future of the physician assistant profession. Meet Michael Cox, a Tufts PA student whose interests in healthcare, public health and advocacy have shaped their path toward a career focused on community and patient-centered care.

A Tufts undergraduate alum, Cox returned to the university for PA school after discovering that the profession offered the collaboration, flexibility and opportunity to serve communities that they were looking for in a career. From helping build connections within the PA student community to supporting access to sexual health resources on campus, Cox is already finding ways to put those values into practice.

As part of our PA Week student profile series, he shares why they chose the PA profession and Tufts, the experiences that have shaped their PA education and their hopes for making healthcare feel more approachable and human for their future patients.

This week, we’ll be sharing more stories from current Tufts PA students. Check back to meet the students behind the program and hear, in their own words, what inspired them to become PAs.

What inspired you to pursue a career as a PA?

"What first drew me to the PA profession was the emphasis on collaboration. I really liked the idea of practicing medicine as part of a team, learning from people with different training and perspectives, and using a team-based approach to provide care. I was also drawn to the profession's flexibility, not just because my interests can evolve over my career, but because PAs can adapt and provide care wherever it is most needed. There are so many gaps in our healthcare system, and I liked the idea of building a career that allows me the freedom to uniquely respond to those needs rather than being tied to one niche speciality or setting for my entire career."

Why did you choose Tufts?

"After four years at Tufts for my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to train as a PA somewhere with values that aligned with the kind of clinician I hoped to be. I was especially drawn to the program's emphasis on social justice and wanted to learn from PAs and other clinicians who care deeply about their patients while also recognizing the complex issues and pressure outside of the exam room that affect their health. Housing, finances, identity, family, transportation, and so many other parts of life shape people’s health and the care that is realistic for them. I chose Tufts because I knew that it would be a place where I could build a strong clinical foundation while also learning to examine how social determinants of health, identity, and larger systems shape the care we provide."

What has been your most meaningful experience at Tufts so far?

"Some of my favorite parts of PA school so far have been outside of the classroom. I am one of the co-vice presidents of TUPASS, our PA student association, and I have really enjoyed planning things like karaoke nights, potlucks, and other events where everyone can stop thinking about school for a few hours and just spend time together. PA school can get intense pretty quickly, so having a role in making our cohort feel more connected has been really meaningful to me.

I have also been able to continue working with the Tufts CARE office, which I was involved with throughout my undergraduate experience. This year I have been a graduate student intern and had the opportunity to help create the CARE Cubby on our Boston Health Sciences Campus, through which students can easily access free safer sex items like condoms, lubricant, and Plan B. CARE was a huge part of my undergraduate experience, so I love that I have been able to continue that work in PA school and turn it into something tangible that students on our campus can actually use.

What are your career goals after graduation?

After graduation, I see myself in community medicine, family medicine, or primary care. I really appreciate the breadth of those fields and the idea of getting to know patients over time rather than only seeing one small piece of their health. Preventive care, sexual health, caring for older adults, and working with underserved communities are other areas I can also see being part of my future practice.

I am still early in my training, so I have not totally decided what I want my career to look like. One of the reasons I became a PA was that I wanted room to change, to keep learning, and to follow the parts of medicine that excite me over the course of my career. Wherever Mikey PA-C winds up, I know he will strive to stay grounded in serving communities and leading through humanity."

How has Tufts helped prepare you for your future career?

"The faculty here have honestly made a huge difference in my PA school experience. They challenge us and have high expectations for the clinicians that we are becoming, but they also know us beyond our exam scores. They notice when we are overwhelmed, celebrate things happening in our lives, make us laugh, and remind us to be kind to ourselves and be actual human beings. That has probably taught me more than they realize. I am learning the clinical medicine I came here to learn, but I am also seeing that you can be an incredibly knowledgeable PA without becoming detached or losing the parts of yourself that make you good at caring for people in the first place."

What kind of impact do you hope to make as a PA?

"I hope patients leave conversations with me feeling like I actually knew who they were, not just why they came into the clinic that day. I want the people I provide care for to feel comfortable being honest with me about their health and their lives, because good care really depends on that trust and connection. I want to take the time to build real rapport with my patients, especially with those who may have good reason not to immediately trust our healthcare system. You can know all of the right treatments and diagnoses, but it will not have a strong impact if a patient doesn't feel safe and comfortable enough to engage with you.

I also think PAs are in a unique position to help fill some of the gaps that exist in healthcare. The profession gives us the flexibility to go where we are needed and to care for patients across different settings and stages of life. I hope I can use that flexibility to provide care that centers intentionality and human connection. If I can practice good medicine while making healthcare feel more approachable and human for the people I take care of, I think I will be really proud of the career I have built."

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