American Academy of PAs

What American Academy of PAs does

The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), founded in 1968 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the sole national professional membership society representing physician associates (PAs) across every medical and surgical specialty and practice setting in the United States. The organization serves a profession of more than 200,000 PAs and has 74,000+ members distributed across Fellow Professional/Plus/Premium, Student, Pre-PA, Retired, Affiliate, and federal service tiers. AAPA delivers advocacy at federal and state levels, peer-reviewed publishing through the JAAPA journal, and credentialing support via its authorized agent relationship with the AMA's Profiling service.

The organization's revenue model is diversified across membership dues (annual subscriptions across multiple tiers), a large annual conference (AAPA Conference) plus specialty events (Executive Leadership Conference, Hospital Medicine Essentials, Musculoskeletal Galaxy, We Are Family Medicine, Leadership and Advocacy Summit, Psych Congress PA Institute), the Learning Central CME platform offering more than 500 AAPA Category 1 credits, the PA JobSource job board (employer fees), publications and research products (Salary Report, Clinical Resource Library, Areas of Practice Guide), merchandise, and PA Foundation donations. Distribution is direct via the aapa.org website, member portal, mobile apps, and a federation of 58+ constituent organizations including 50 state chapters, federal service chapters, 27 specialty organizations, 11 caucuses, and 23 special interest groups.

AAPA is governed by a Board of Directors and led by CEO Lisa M. Gables, CPA (since September 2020), with an executive team spanning finance, advocacy, marketing, technology, events, health equity, and reimbursement. The organization is actively pursuing a multi-year strategic repositioning including a statutory title change from "physician assistant" to "physician associate" (enacted in Oregon, Maine, and New Hampshire as of 2025), a digital platform transition from Huddle to AAPA Community (launched March 2026), and joint litigation with PAEA against the Department of Education's RISE rule on federal student loan limits for PA students.

Name

American Academy of PAs

Legal name

American Academy of Physician Associates, Inc.

Website

https://aapa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

AAPA is the sole national professional membership association representing more than 200,000 U.S. physician associates, providing advocacy, CME, conferences, publications, and career services to 74,000+ members across multiple tiers and a federation of 58+ constituent organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated) (EDAHAGAA)

Keywords

• Professional medical association
• Continuing medical education
• Healthcare advocacy services
• Medical conference events
• Physician career resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from multiple tiers including Fellow (Professional, Plus, Premium), Student, Pre-PA, Retired, and Affiliate memberships. Dues vary by membership type. The nondeductible portion of annual dues for lobbying activities is approximately 4.48%.
2. Events and Conferences: Revenue from major conferences including AAPA Conference (annual), Executive Leadership Conference, Musculoskeletal Galaxy, Hospital Medicine Essentials, We Are Family Medicine, and Leadership and Advocacy Summit. Registration fees for in-person and virtual events.
3. Publications and Journals: Revenue from JAAPA journal subscriptions. Print subscription included with Fellow and Retired memberships ($33 of annual dues), digital-only for other member types ($12 of dues). Also includes CME publications.
4. Continuing Medical Education (CME): Revenue from CME courses, on-demand modules, and Learning Central subscriptions. Over 500 credits of AAPA Category 1 CME available. Fee-based professional development content.
5. Career Services (PA JobSource): PA JobSource job board generates revenue through employer job postings and recruitment services. Also includes contract negotiation resources and salary tools.
6. Products and Merchandise: Revenue from AAPA-branded merchandise through shop.pasgobeyond.com, including apparel and promotional items.
7. PA Foundation Donations: Voluntary tax-deductible contributions to the PA Foundation supporting scholarships and philanthropic programs. Federal ID# 54-1071370.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) is the national professional membership association representing more than 200,000 physician associates (PAs) across all medical and surgical specialties in the U.S. Its core offering is multi-tiered membership (Fellow, Student, Pre-PA, Retired, Affiliate) bundled with continuing medical education, advocacy representation, peer-reviewed clinical publications, career support, and access to a national network of state chapters and specialty organizations.

Product overview

AAPA operates a platform-plus-programs model centered on its professional membership organization. The core membership product spans multiple tiers (Pre-PA, Student, Fellow with Professional/Plus/Premium options, Retired, Affiliate) providing access to career resources, continuing education, advocacy, and networking. Key digital products include PA JobSource (job board), Learning Central (CME platform with 500+ credits), the AAPA Salary Report, Clinical Resource Library, Areas of Practice Guide, and the newly launched AAPA Community (replaced Huddle in March 2026). The flagship event is the annual AAPA Conference, supplemented by specialty conferences including Hospital Medicine Essentials, Leadership and Advocacy Summit, Executive Leadership Conference, Musculoskeletal Galaxy, and We Are Family Medicine. The portfolio also includes JAAPA peer-reviewed journal, PA Foundation (philanthropy), PA PAC (advocacy), National PA Week celebration, PAs Go Beyond public awareness campaign, and the AAPA Awards Program. Constituent organizations network includes state chapters, 27 specialty organizations, 27 special interest groups, and 14 caucuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PAs Go Beyond: Public awareness campaign to promote the value and contributions of PAs in healthcare.
• AAPA Community
• JAAPA
• PA JobSource
• Learning Central
• PA Foundation

Products and services

• AAPA Membership
• JAAPA (Journal of the American Academy of PAs)
• AAPA Conference
• PA JobSource
• Learning Central (CME Platform)
• AAPA Salary Report
• Hospital Medicine Essentials
• AAPA Leadership and Advocacy Summit
• Executive Leadership Conference
• Musculoskeletal Galaxy
• We Are Family (Medicine)
• Psych Congress PA Institute
• AAPA Community
• PAs Go Beyond Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of U.S. adults say PAs improve the quality of healthcare (Harris Poll - The Patient Experience survey)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Pfizer PAthwaysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partnership supporting the PAthways Program aimed at increasing diverse representation in PA education and the workforce. Part of AAPA's health equity and diversity initiatives.
• Colorado Health Foundation PAthwaysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant-funded partnership supporting PAthways programming to promote diversity in the PA profession, focused on specific geographic region.
• Cigna Youth Mental HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting youth mental health initiatives and programming, contributing to AAPA's community health engagement efforts.
• RBC Student Mental HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partnership supporting student mental health resources and programming for PA students.
• Exact Sciences FQHCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting quality improvement initiatives at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to enhance preventive care delivery.
• PA Education Association (PAEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey national organization partnership - PAEA represents PA education programs and works collaboratively with AAPA on workforce development, research fellowship programs, and student pipeline initiatives. Joint advocacy on student loan litigation.
• Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the PA (ARC-PA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC-PA is the accrediting agency for PA programs. AAPA works with ARC-PA to ensure standards support PA practice and education quality. AAPA refers program complaints to ARC-PA.
• National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCCPA certifies PAs. One of the four national PA organizations working together to support PAs throughout their careers.
• PA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe philanthropic arm of AAPA. Provides scholarships for PA students, supports the PAthways Program for diverse representation, and funds health equity initiatives. Executive Director reports jointly to AAPA.
• American Medical Association (AMA)coreTechnology or IntegrationAAPA serves as the primary source and authorized agent for PA credentialing through AMA's credentials profiling service, used by nearly every hospital in the country for primary source verification.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Pharmacists Association: APhA is the national professional society for pharmacists, offering membership tiers, advocacy, the APhA Foundation, and a peer-reviewed journal. AAPA's CFO Simon Suran and PA Foundation Executive Director Lynette Sappe-Watkins both have APhA lineage, and the operating model is highly comparable.
• American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology: AANA represents Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) with a national professional society structure including membership, advocacy, education, and conferences. Directly comparable as a role-equivalent advanced practice provider association.
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners: AANP is the national professional membership association for nurse practitioners across all specialties, structurally analogous to AAPA with similar advocacy, CME, conference, and certification support functions. It is the closest role-equivalent peer for PAs.
• American Dental Association: ADA is the national professional association for dentists with tiered membership, a peer-reviewed journal (JADA), advocacy, and continuing education. It is a structurally identical professional association model, though at larger scale.
• American Nurses Association: ANA represents the U.S. nursing profession with a comparable membership model, advocacy footprint, and continuing education offerings. It overlaps directly with AAPA on healthcare workforce policy and scope-of-practice issues at state and federal levels.
• American Physical Therapy Association: APTA represents physical therapists nationally with a multi-tier membership, advocacy, conferences, and specialty sections. It is a closely analogous professional association structure serving a non-physician healthcare provider constituency.
• American College of Physicians: ACP is the national specialty society for internal medicine physicians with tiered membership, CME, the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, and federal/state advocacy. Highly comparable to AAPA in operating model and scale.
• American Academy of Family Physicians: AAFP is a large specialty medical society for family physicians with tiered membership, CME, advocacy, and a peer-reviewed journal. It is directly comparable in member benefits structure, though its members are physicians rather than PAs.

Emerging players

• Society of Hospital Medicine: SHM co-brands AAPA's Hospital Medicine Essentials conference and represents hospitalist physicians. It is a more specialized peer with overlap on the PA-in-hospitalist practice area and shared event programming, but narrower scope than AAPA's all-PA mandate.

Broad incumbents

• American Medical Association: AMA is the largest U.S. physician association and AAPA's credentialing partner via AMA Profiles. It operates as a broader incumbent in healthcare professional advocacy, with overlapping CME, advocacy, and credentialing offerings that touch every PA indirectly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AAPAorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AAPAMyPA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-academy-of-physician-assistants
• Instagraminstagram.com/aapamypa
• Xx.com/aapaorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Academy of PAs