Teaching the Lessons He Once Learned

Assistant Professor Matthew Chappellie has made it his mission to teach his students the same lessons he was once taught.

Chappellie is the Director of Clinical Education and associate professor of the Physician Assistant (PA) program at FranU. He joined the University in 2024 after what he describes as a stroke of luck and stayed because of the welcoming faculty and sense of community on campus.

In the PA program, Chappellie teaches a variety of subjects, but his primary focus is orthopedics and procedural instruction during the didactic phase of the program. As an instructor, he finds the most joy passing along knowledge he gained as a student to help his own students grow.

One of his favorite memories at FranU was observing his first class of lab students go from not knowing how to properly assess a patient to mastering the skill by the end of the semester.

It just reaffirmed why I wanted to do this,” Chappellie said.

He also supports pre-PA undergraduates wherever possible, stating, “it is always good to help out in places where I have been.”

Before becoming a physician assistant, Chappellie worked as an athletic trainer, where he often relied on others to assist with conducting physicals. Now, he performs physicals independently and volunteers at annual community sport events.

Those clinical experiences influence how he mentors students. He teaches his students the importance of treating others the way they would want to be treated.

This helps us better care for our patients and in general helps the world be a better place,” Chappellie said.

To stay current in his field, Chappellie practices orthopedics weekly and keeps up with his Continuing Medical Education. Teaching evidence-based medicine, he says, also keeps him sharp.

As an educator, he continues to grow by attending conferences, listening to lectures and connecting with fellow PA instructors to learn from their approaches and “blend all of it together in his own way.”

In many ways, the lessons he now teaches are the same ones that guided him once: serve others well, lead with compassion and never stop learning.