Julianne Blackburn didn’t take the traditional path into healthcare. Before becoming a certified physician assistant, she taught English in South America, earned graduate degrees in social work and public health and worked with young adults experiencing homelessness. Somewhere along the way, she realized she wanted to play a different role in helping people improve their lives. Now patients will benefit from that passion as she joins Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Internal Medicine in Gainesville at Medical Park 2.
“Every step of my career has taught me something different about caring for people,” Blackburn said. “What drew me to becoming a physician assistant was the opportunity to combine those real-world experiences with the ability to care for the health of people in my community.”
Originally from Burlington, North Carolina, Blackburn earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before spending time teaching English in Chile and Ecuador. She eventually moved to Georgia, where she earned master’s degrees in social work and public health from the University of Georgia.
While working in a housing program for young adults experiencing homelessness and as a medical assistant at a free health clinic in Athens, Georgia, she realized she had a passion for clinical care that ultimately led her to pursue a career in medicine.
Blackburn, who is bilingual in English and Spanish, went on to earn an additional master’s degree in physician assistant studies from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, before beginning her career in emergency medicine. During her clinical training, she completed rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, surgery and women’s health.
“When I’m not at work, I enjoy traveling, hiking and spending time outdoors whenever I can,” Blackburn said.
NGPG Internal Medicine in Gainesville is open Monday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The office is located inside Medical Park 2 at 1439 Jesse Jewell Parkway, Suite 201. Call 770-219-0023 to schedule an appointment or visit ngpg.org/blackburn to learn more.
NGPG is an affiliate of Northeast Georgia Health System.
