Physician Assistant Faculty and Staff

Rasha Abdrabou received her Master’s in Public Health in 2002 and her Doctorate in Public Health in 2009, both from Loma Linda University.  She has since taught in undergraduate and graduate programs at various universities, including Cal Baptist University, Cal State Dominguez and West Coast University. She has also worked in the field of community nutrition for various public health programs such as Healthy Smiles, Early Head Start and Champions for Change.  She returned to Loma Linda University in 2018 as full-time faculty for the Physician Assistant Department, and assumed the position of Department Chair in 2023.  Dr. Abdrabou is also Director of Education Assessment, a position that focuses on ensuring the delivery of quality education standards and the continuous improvement of the clinical and didactic curricula. Dr. Abdrabou’s research interests include applying public health practices in clinical settings and development, implementation and dissemination of interventions to combat chronic disease.  She is also interested in pedagogical research centered around practices of learning and teaching assessments.

Courtney Marquez received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Clinical Exercise Science and Minor in Sociology from California State University, Fullerton in 2009. She obtained her Master's degree in Physician Assistant Sciences in 2014 from Loma Linda University and has worked in General Pediatrics since graduation.  She returned to Loma Linda University in 2015 as full-time faculty, where she has worked both didactically and clinically for the Physician Assistant Department.  Professor Marquez currently serves as the Program Director, where her duties include overseeing program accreditation as well as the didactic and clinical phases of the program.  She provides lectures in Preventive Medicine, Physical Diagnosis, Clinical Medicine, Pediatrics and PA Professional Issues. Additionally, she facilitates the Inter-Professional Education Workshop during the didactic phase of the program. She plans to pursue her doctorate degree in 2021.

Wessam Labib graduated from the University of Illinois, Chicago, Family Medicine Residency program in 2008. Simultaneously, he received a Master’s of Public Health in Health Policy and Administration that same year.  In 2009, he completed a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at UCLA and a Medical Student Education Fellowship from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine in 2012. Currently, he practices Family/Geriatric Medicine at the Loma Linda University Family Medical Group. He is also Director of the Adult Specialty Clinic (ASC) - Memory clinic.  He is an Assistant Professor for the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine and School of Nursing. He is also the Geriatric Medicine Rotations Director – Family Medicine Residency.  He is the Director of Medical Student Education – Department of Family Medicine and was appointed the PA program Medical Director in 2016.  He is passionate about education and believes strongly in the value of the multidisciplinary approach to education and to healthcare.

Catherine Oms was raised locally and graduated from Loma Linda Academy in 1997. She received an Associate's Degree in Nursing from Southwestern Adventist University in 1999. She obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from Cal State University, San Bernardino in 2003, both Master's Degree in Physician Assistant Sciences in 2007 and Doctoral degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Preventive care in 2020 from Loma Linda University. Since that time, she has worked in pediatrics, women's health, family practice and prevention/wellness specialties. She completed the OB/GYN Residency Program for PA's from Arrowhead Medical Center in 2009. She returned to Loma Linda University in 2011 as full-time faculty and since then has served the program as Didactic Coordinator, Associate Program Director and Department Chair. Currently, her responsibilities include assisting the didactic team program needs, implementing the mission and vision of the institution and participate in teaching and research possibilities.

Heather Cabrera received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Cellular and Developmental Biology from California State University, Fullerton. Immediately following graduation from CSU Fullerton, she was invited to join the part time faculty as an instructor for the Biology department’s Anatomy Lab. She later obtained her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Sciences in 2017 from Loma Linda University and has worked as a PA in both the Emergency and Primary Care settings since graduation. Her passion for education led her back to Loma Linda University in 2022 where she is now full-time faculty for the Physician Assistant program. As a Didactic Coordinator, her responsibilities focus on coordinating and teaching Pathophysiology throughout the didactic phase as well as advising the current PA students in their clinical and didactic years. She has plans to pursue her Doctoral degree in the future.

Rokaya Hijaz received her bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2014. Following graduation, she served as an educator at Chaffey College’s Success Center where she provided support to students in chemistry and biology courses. In 2020, She obtained her master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Western University of Health Sciences. Since that time, she has worked primarily in acute care settings including emergency medicine and urgent care. Her passion for education led her to join the Loma Linda Physician Assistant program in 2023 as a full-time assistant professor. Her responsibilities include teaching Clinical Medicine to students in the didactic year and advising students in the clinical year.

Tunde Hrotko was born and raised in Southern California, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition Sciences from Cal Poly Pomona in 2001.  She then completed her dietetic internship program at LAC + USC Medical Center and became a Registered Dietitian in 2002.  She worked as a Clinical Registered Dietitian and Director of Food and Nutrition Services for a total of  9 years until deciding to become a Physician Assistant.  She received her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Sciences from Loma Linda University in 2013.  Since that time, she has worked in private practice Gastroenterology and Neurosurgery at Loma Linda Medical Center.  She joined the Loma Linda Physician Assistant program in 2022 as a full-time faculty Clinical Coordinator and continues to work in Gastroenterology as well.  Her duties include coordinating and evaluating students in clinical rotations and clinical site development and retention.

William J. Wilson earned his Bachelor of Science from Jackson State University in 1999 and his Medical Doctorate from University of Kansas in 2005. He completed his Master of Physician Assistant Sciences degree in 2014 from Loma Linda University. In 2017, he was brought on board as department faculty. His primary responsibility is coordinating and teaching the Pharmacology courses offered during the didactic portion of the program. William also assists as needed with other courses taught during the didactic year.  He currently works full-time in Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine.

Lillian Luna received her Associate’s Degree in Business Administration in 2006 from San Joaquin Valley College. She obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management in 2011 from University of Phoenix. She provides administrative support to the Department Chair and works with all teams to facilitate program development, progression, and functionality. Her responsibilities include accreditation, grant, marketing, and alumni affairs. Prior to joining the University, Lillian worked in academics and admissions.

Kena Shaddox joined the PA Department in 2010 and has been employed with the University since 1997.  Her primary duty is administrative support for the didactic portion of the program as well as provides overall administrative support to the faculty and staff. Prior to joining the university, Kena worked as a research assistant for 7 years on a double-blind study for Colgate toothpaste. The study culminated in the introduction of a new product, Colgate Total.

Jonathan Pedroza joined the PA department in July of 2022 as the Clinical Administrative Coordinator. Jonathan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from California State University, San Bernardino in 2018. Prior to joining the PA department, Jonathan worked as a Unit Secretary for an adult observation unit with Loma Linda University Medical Center. His primary responsibilities include coordinating PA student rotations with facilities as well as providing support to both the PA students and faculty from the clinical team.