91ÖÆƬ³§

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 91ÖÆƬ³§’s PA Program. In 2025, she earned a PhD in Community Health and Prevention from 91ÖÆƬ³§’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 91ÖÆƬ³§: 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