Physician Assistant Studies Faculty & Staff
Executive Director and Program Director, J. Barton Gillum, D.Sc.
Dr. J. Barton Gillum is an experienced educator and academic leader in physician assistant and pre-medical education. He currently serves as Executive Director and Program Director of the Physician Assistant Program at Kean University, where he oversees program leadership, curriculum development, and student success initiatives.
From 2018 to 2024, Dr. Gillum directed The George Washington University’s Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medicine Program, followed by his role as Program Director and Assistant Professor for GW’s Physician Assistant Program from 2024 to 2025. Throughout his academic career, he has taught a wide range of courses, including Current Topics in Healthcare, Medical Terminology, and Clinical Specialties, and has facilitated integration courses for PA students.
His scholarly interests include point-of-care ultrasound and pathways to healthcare careers for pre-PA and pre-medical students. He is a peer reviewer for leading PA journals and has served in national leadership roles, including co-chairing the advisory committee for the PostbacCAS centralized application service.
Dr. Gillum is committed to advancing healthcare education through innovation, collaboration, and a strong focus on student success.
Samah Jaramillo, M.S., PA-C
Samah Jaramillo has been practicing as a physician assistant since 2013. A majority of her career has been spent in Bariatric surgery as a 1st surgical assist and clinical counselor for a medical weight loss program. She is well-trained in the associated co-morbidities of obesity including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease.
She graduated magna cum laude from Temple University with a B.S. degree in Kinesiology and obtained her Master's Degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Seton Hall University. She recognized her passion for medicine early on and hopes to pass that along to her students.
Director of Didactic Education, Wendy A. Ritch, M.A., MTS
Wendy Ritch earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in Politics and Religion, her MTS from Harvard University in Theology and Women’s Studies in Religion, and her M.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Political/Feminist/Queer Theory and American Politics. She was completing her Ph.D. in Urban Systems with a focus on urban health in a joint program at Rutgers and NJIT; however, the program closed before Wendy finished her dissertation. Wendy has worked as a faculty member and an administrator in academic health sciences since 1997. She has a background in research, teaching, grant writing, program evaluation, student learning assessment, accreditation, all-hazards preparedness, administration, and change management. Wendy is also a musician, visual artist, and tennis player/fan.
Wendy's research interests include health policy, population health, social drivers of health, LGBTQ+ health equity, intersectionality, domestic migration of LGBTQ+ populations, and cultural competence education for health professionals. Wendy is the founding Director of Didactic Education for Kean's PA Program. She teaches the non-clinical topics that ARC-PA requires of their accredited programs, as well as a research series that takes students from the basics of epidemiology, biostatistics, research methods, and evidence-based medicine through the completion of an original group research project that is presented at two conferences and that may be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. Wendy enjoys being an agent of change and is committed to health equity for all.
Medical Director, Dmitriy Zelikson, DO
Providing compassionate patient care and mentoring future healthcare providers are Dr. Zelikson's driving forces. He believes these are the building blocks for a successful and rewarding career in medicine. After all, doctor in Latin means “teacher.”
Since graduating residency and becoming a board certified Emergency Medicine physician, Zelikson has been involved in academics as a preceptor to residents and medical students, providing them with educational guidance. He's also an examiner for American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Physicians. His professional interests include practice of evidence based medicine, community education and student development.
Through his role as a Medical Director at Kean University’s Physician Assistant Program, I have the honor to help educate the next generation of health care providers. The program strives to provide every student with a solid foundation for limitless career opportunities and professional growth. He hopes that together we can achieve our highest aspirations.
Director of Clinical Education, Ewa Keil, M.S., PA-C
Ewa Keil, MS, PA-C has been practicing as a Physician Assistant (PA) since 2005. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Philadelphia University (now Jefferson University) in 2003 and 2005 respectively. She has expertise in a variety of fields including Emergency Medicine, Urgent Care, Interventional Pain Management, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatry), and Occupational Medicine. She brings a wealth of clinical experience along with a strong background in mentoring and as a clinical preceptor. She believes that PAs are vital to the future of healthcare and is eager to pass on her enthusiasm for medicine and patient care. Her goal is to inspire her students to become empathetic, skilled, and compassionate providers.