Her journey into the world of healthcare began on the Kent State Salem Campus and now Tabitha Lockhart is using that foundation to care for patients as a certified physician assistant (PA-C) at the Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut.
After graduating from the Salem Campus radiologic technology program in 2007, Lockhart worked full time as a mobile X-ray technologist, traveling throughout Ohio. At the same time, she took classes through Kent State and earned her bachelor’s degree in public health in 2012.
“Throughout my X-ray tech career, I knew I wanted to have more responsibility with patient care and outcomes,” she explained. “The (public health) program prepared me for the challenges of the healthcare environment and the rewards of delivering exceptional patient care, compassion and professionalism. This inspired me to explore further career opportunities in radiology. Once I found the physician assistant profession, I knew it was the path for me!”
Lockhart graduated with her PA degree from the University of Mount Union in 2017 and worked as an interventional radiology PA-C in Canton for almost three years before moving to Connecticut in 2020. Now living in New Haven with her wife, Brooke, she works full time as an interventional radiology PA-C at Yale New Haven Hospital.
“I enjoy working in an academic environment and the level of critical thinking required in my specialty. I am able to approach and evaluate every patient case as both a provider and radiologic technologist,” Lockhart said. “This is useful since all of our patient cases/procedures utilize imaging. My radiology knowledge and training has proved valuable throughout my career path. I am very thankful and proud to have started my healthcare journey as a radiologic technologist.”
Cutline A: Tabitha Lockhart’s career has taken her from Kent State's Salem Campus to Yale New Haven Hospital.
Cutline B: Tabitha Lockhart
Cutline C: Tabitha Lockhart likes to make her patients smile sometimes.