Breaking Boundaries: RIT Grad Merges Sonography and PA Studies for Comprehensive Patient Care

Zayneb Ghazle is a groundbreaking RIT student. In May, she became the first student to graduate with a double major in diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound) and the physician assistant BS/MS program—the first person ever to complete the two rigorous programs.

Ghazle grew up seeing how ultrasound inspired her father, Hamad Ghazle, who has been director of RIT’s diagnostic medical ultrasound program since 1994. She was familiar with the RIT community well before her first day on campus and knew it would support her interests and ambitions; she didn’t need to apply anywhere else.

She decided to double major after learning about the physician assistant profession during her second year through a chance opportunity to shadow a PA at Strong Hospital. The experience broadened her understanding of what she could do for patients, and Ghazle scheduled a meeting with the program leaders at RIT. She made her case to the PA faculty and was admitted to the program as a second year PA student.

“They were definitely shocked because nobody had tried this before,” she said.

Along with two majors, Ghazle pursued a full college experience that included roles as president and vice president of the Ultrasound Student Association, and as a student government representative for the College of Health Sciences and Technology. She will graduate as a member of the RIT Honors Program, an Outstanding Scholar, and a scholar in RIT’s Center for Statesmanship, Law, and Liberty program.

After graduation, Ghazle plans to stay in Rochester. Her foresight to combine an ultrasound and physician assistant education gives her a special skillset at a time when the medical field is facing a sonography shortage and adopting “point of care ultrasound” to diagnose certain diseases at the bedside.

“My main concern is improving the outcomes of my patients,” said Ghazle. “I treat every patient as my own family members, so being able to provide that extra service for their benefit is absolutely humbling.”