Samantha B Ong, PA-C

Samantha discovered cardiothoracic surgery and quickly realized how much she enjoyed the hands-on nature of the specialty. Samantha Ong, PA-C was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States at age nine. During her college years, she s...

Samantha discovered cardiothoracic surgery and quickly realized how much she enjoyed the hands-on nature of the specialty. Samantha Ong, PA-C was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States at age nine. During her college years, she spent much of her time volunteering in various community settings as she explored where she felt most fulfilled. I consistently found myself drawn to caring for people in a medical environment, she says. During a mission trip, I shadowed a physician assistant who worked in an underserved community clinic on Skid Row. Watching the impact she had on her patients inspired me to pursue the PA profession. In PA school, Samantha discovered cardiothoracic surgery and quickly realized how much she enjoyed the hands-on nature of the specialty. It was one of the most engaging and technically challenging fields I encountered, and I knew I wanted to be part of a team that makes immediate, life-changing differences for patients. Samantha shares that the most fulfilling part of her work is witnessing patients recover after major heart surgery.