Georgia Association of Physician Assistants

What Georgia Association of Physician Assistants does

GAPA is a non-profit professional membership association for physician assistants (PAs) in Georgia, founded in 1975 and organized into 16 geographic regions. It represents over 4,000 PAs in the state and is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA). The organization rebranded to the Georgia Academy of Physician Associates as part of its 50th anniversary in 2025.

The association's core products and services include annual membership, a flagship Annual CME Conference (with member pricing of $600 and non-member pricing of $700), GAPA Go (an online on-demand CME platform), a Pre-PA Engage pipeline program, a Student Program, a Job Center, and a Political Action Committee backed by a full-time lobbyist. Underlying technology is limited to standard association-management SaaS: Wild Apricot for membership and Cvent for event registration. Operations are run by an external association management company (Plan-it Satisfaction), with the registered mailing address in San Antonio, Texas.

GAPA's business model relies on membership dues, CME conference registration fees, and corporate sponsorships from life sciences firms (Vertex, AbbVie, Amgen, Gilead, Sanofi/Regeneron, Medtronic, Dexcom, Exact Sciences) and health systems (Piedmont Healthcare). Revenue is incremental and stable rather than venture-scaled, with legislative advocacy (HB557, SB 321, and the AAPA/PAEA federal student loan lawsuit) serving as a core non-monetary value driver for member retention.

Name

Georgia Association of Physician Assistants

Legal name

Georgia Academy of Physician Associates

Website

https://gapa.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GAPA is a Georgia-based non-profit professional membership association representing over 4,000 physician assistants across 16 regions, delivering CME, advocacy, career services, and a student pipeline. Founded in 1975, it operates under AAPA's national chapter network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from physician assistants, student members, and associate/fellow members. Members receive benefits including advocacy representation, CME discounts, access to the job center, regional networking events, and member discounts on products and services.
2. CME Conference Revenue: Registration fees from the annual Summer CME Conference, with tiered pricing for members, non-members, students, military, and one-day attendees. Sponsorships and exhibitor fees from pharmaceutical and medical device companies contribute additional revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Georgia Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA) is a statewide nonprofit professional membership association serving over 4,000 physician assistants in Georgia. Its core offerings include annual membership with advocacy representation, an annual Summer CME Conference with 30+ Category I CME hours, the GAPA Go online CME platform, a Pre-PA Engage mentorship program, scholarships, and a job center connecting PAs with employers. The organization is also a constituent chapter of the national American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and operates a Political Action Committee (PAC) for state-level legislative advocacy.

Product overview

GAPA operates as a membership organization offering a unified portfolio of professional services for Physician Assistants in Georgia. The core offerings include membership with advocacy representation, annual CME conferences with Category I credits, and the GAPA Go online learning platform. Student programs feature the Pre-PA Engage mentorship program, scholarship opportunities, Challenge Bowl academic competition, and volleyball tournament. The organization also provides a job center for career placement and operates a Political Action Committee for legislative advocacy. Pre-recorded lectures and a mentorship network spanning all Georgia regions supplement the educational offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pre-PA Engage Program: Mentorship program for pre-physician assistant students providing guidance, networking opportunities, and support throughout the PA journey.
• GAPA Awards
• GAPA Go

Products and services

• GAPA Membership Annual professional membership for licensed physician assistants in Georgia, providing legislative advocacy, CME access, regional networking across 16 regions, job center access, member discounts on scrubs, stethoscopes, PANCE/PANRE review courses, UpToDate, and reimbursement assistance.
• Annual Summer CME Conference Annual multi-day conference offering 30+ hours of Category I CME credits, hands-on workshops, networking events, exhibitor hall, and student programming including Challenge Bowl and Volleyball Tournament. Pricing tiers include member ($600), non-member ($700), military ($600), one-day member ($200), one-day non-member ($300), student member ($100), student non-member ($200), and Pre-PA ($45).
• GAPA Go Online CME Platform Online on-demand CME platform offering recorded lecture content accessible anytime, including the GAPA GO DEA MATE CME bundle with 8 hours of required DEA MATE CME content. Free for members; $199 for non-members; $150 per person for general GAPA Go 2025 online CME courses (member price).
• GAPA Job Center Career center connecting Physician Assistants in Georgia with job opportunities throughout the state. Healthcare employers (hospitals, clinics, private practices) post PA positions; PAs browse and apply for openings.
• Pre-Recorded Lecture Library On-demand video lecture library from the GAPA Conference covering medical topics including prioritization, pediatric vulvovaginal complaints, rhabdomyolysis, mental health, rheumatology, cardiology, coding documentation, oncology, and BPH management.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025PAEA is the national organization representing PA education programs. GAPA and PAEA have collaborated on advocacy efforts including a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education regarding PA student loan limits under the RISE Final Rule. Both organizations are working to protect PA students' access to federal loan funding.
• American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1975GAPA is a constituent organization of the AAPA, the national professional organization for PAs. AAPA sets standards for the PA profession, advocates nationally, and provides resources to state affiliates like GAPA. GAPA participates in AAPA events including the Leadership Advocacy Summit in Washington DC.
• Plan-it Satisfaction (Association Management Company)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPlan-it Satisfaction is the association management company contracted to manage GAPA's operations, including meeting planning, conference management, membership administration, web design, marketing, social media, and database management. Key staff include Monique Ochoa (President), Dane Shafer-Pratt (Meeting & Association Manager), Stephen Quick (Membership Manager), and Karen Lee (Meeting Manager).
• Georgia Composite Medical BoardcoreOthersGAPA engages with the Georgia Composite Medical Board on matters of PA licensure, scope of practice, and regulatory updates. GAPA advocated for SB 321 in 2020 to improve PA practice flexibility and worked with the Board on HB 557 to simplify procedures for adding/changing supervising physicians and expand PA prescribing authority.
• Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce (GBHCW)minorOthersThe GBHCW analyzes physician assistant workforce data from biennial license renewals and publishes the Physician Assistant Workforce Report biennially, providing data on PA supply and distribution across Georgia.
• Marriott Resort SawgrassminorOthersThe Marriott Resort Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida is the venue for the 2026 GAPA Summer CME Conference (July 16-19, 2026). The venue offers accommodations, conference facilities, and amenities including beach access and golf courses.
• Conference Sponsors (Vertex, AbbVie, Amgen, Gilead, Sanofi/Regeneron, Medtronic, Dexcom, Exact Sciences, Piedmont Healthcare, and others)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical and medical device companies sponsor the GAPA Annual CME Conference, including Vertex, AbbVie, Amgen, Gilead, Sanofi/Regeneron, Medtronic, Dexcom, Exact Sciences, Piedmont Healthcare, Morehouse School of Medicine, Team Health, and others. These sponsors showcase products and services to PA attendees and support the conference financially.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP): National professional organization for nurse practitioners with the same nonprofit membership, CME-conference, and legislative-advocacy model as GAPA, operating as an adjacent allied-health professional association.
• American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA): National professional organization for Physician Associates of which GAPA is a constituent. Operates in the same PA professional-association category, providing the national advocacy, CME, and standards that GAPA delivers at the state level.

Direct peers

• Texas Academy of Physician Assistants (TAPA): Statewide PA membership association for Texas. Same business model (dues + annual CME conference + regional chapters + legislative advocacy) as GAPA, making it the most directly comparable peer in scale and structure.
• Florida Academy of Physician Assistants (FAPA): Florida's statewide PA membership association with CME conferences, legislative advocacy, regional chapters, and student programs — directly analogous to GAPA's operating model in a similarly large state.
• Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants (IAPA): Illinois statewide PA membership association providing CME, advocacy, and student programs; directly comparable to GAPA as a peer AAPA constituent organization in a different state.
• Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants (PSPA): Pennsylvania statewide PA professional association delivering CME, advocacy, and chapter services; directly comparable peer to GAPA in membership-model and scope.
• New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA): Statewide PA professional association for New York, delivering CME, advocacy, and member services under the same nonprofit membership model as GAPA.
• California Academy of PAs (CAPA): California's constituent PA chapter of AAPA, offering CME conferences, legislative advocacy, and regional programming — same structure and offerings as GAPA, scaled to a large Western state.
• North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (NCAPA): North Carolina PA state chapter running annual CME conferences, regional chapters, legislative advocacy, and student mentorship — same operating model and constituent-organization status as GAPA.

Others

• Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA): National association representing PA education programs; a strategic partner of GAPA on advocacy matters (e.g., the federal student-loan lawsuit). Functions as an ecosystem/enabling organization rather than a member-competition peer.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gapa1975
• Facebookfacebook.com/gapa1975
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gapa1975
• Instagraminstagram.com/GAPA_1975

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Georgia Association of Physician Assistants