Wait, let's get one thing straight right away. If you’ve been scouring the internet for "alexis dang pap school" because you’re looking for a Physician Assistant program she founded or a specific school she runs, you’ve probably hit a wall. There is a lot of noise out there. Honestly, the confusion usually stems from two very different professionals with similar names, or people mixing up Alexis Dang’s actual medical training with the path of a Physician Assistant (PA).
Alexis Dang—specifically the one most people are looking for in medical circles—isn’t a PA. He is Dr. Alexis Dang, a heavy hitter in the world of orthopaedic surgery. But there is also Kieu Dang, a prominent PA-C who people often conflate with him because they both operate in high-level medical spaces.
It’s easy to see why the wires get crossed. You have one person revolutionizing 3D printing in surgery and another providing top-tier clinical care. Let's break down what alexis dang pap school actually refers to when you strip away the typos and the internet rumors.
The Academic Path of Dr. Alexis Dang
To understand the "schooling" part of this, you have to look at the sheer amount of time this guy spent in classrooms and labs. It wasn't a two-year PA program. It was a marathon.
Dr. Alexis Dang started at Stanford University, where he majored in Biological Sciences. That’s a classic premed move, but he added a minor in Economics, which probably explains his later success in the business side of medical tech. After Stanford, he didn’t just go to any medical school; he went to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
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He stayed at UCSF for his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery. Think about that for a second. That is over a decade of high-intensity training in one of the most competitive medical environments in the world. He eventually became a board-certified Orthopaedic Surgeon and a Professor at UCSF.
So, when people search for his "school," they are usually looking for his credentials at:
- Stanford University (Undergrad)
- UCSF School of Medicine (MD and Residency)
- UCSF/SFVAHCS (Where he currently teaches and researches)
Why the "PA" Confusion Happens
If you aren't looking for the surgeon, you might be looking for Kieu "Alexis" Dang, a certified Physician Assistant. This is where the "PAP school" (Physician Assistant Program) searches likely come from.
Kieu Dang is a very real, very experienced Physician Assistant who graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine's Physician Assistant Program. That is one of the top PA schools in the country. She has over 20 years of experience, particularly in dermatology.
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It’s a classic case of name overlap. One is an MD/Surgeon at UCSF; the other is a high-level PA-C in Washington state. Both are experts, but their "schools" are on opposite sides of the West Coast.
What Dr. Dang Actually Does Now
If you're following the Dr. Alexis Dang path, his "schooling" never really stopped. He basically turned the operating room into a classroom. He is a co-founder of Edge Labs at UCSF, which sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. They focus on 3D printing and how it can actually help surgeons perform better.
Basically, instead of just looking at an X-ray, they can print a 3D model of your specific bone or joint before they ever make an incision. It’s wild. He also co-founded Zeda (formerly PrinterPrezz), a company that sits right at the intersection of manufacturing and medicine.
His research isn't just academic fluff. He deals with:
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- Post-traumatic osteoarthritis: Helping veterans and athletes whose joints are failing after old injuries.
- 3D-printed implants: Making hardware that actually fits the human body instead of being "one size fits most."
- Cartilage repair: Trying to figure out how to fix the stuff that doesn't usually grow back.
Is There a "Dang School" for Students?
Not in the traditional sense. You can’t enroll in a "Dang School of Medicine." However, if you are a medical student at UCSF or a resident in their orthopaedic program, Dr. Dang is likely one of the people teaching you. He is an Assistant Professor there.
He also works heavily with the San Francisco VA Health Care System. This is a huge deal because he’s taking all that high-tech 3D printing knowledge and applying it to veterans who have complex battlefield injuries.
Making Sense of the Search
When you see "alexis dang pap school" pop up in search suggestions, it’s usually a mix-up of these three things:
- The Physician Assistant Program (PAP) at the University of Washington (where Kieu Dang went).
- The UCSF School of Medicine (where Dr. Alexis Dang went).
- People trying to find out where this specific surgeon teaches.
Honestly, the medical world is small. Names get swapped, titles get blurred, and Google tries its best to guess what you mean. But the reality is that whether you’re looking for the PA or the MD, you’re looking at two people who went through some of the most rigorous training programs in the United States.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Medical Students
If you’re researching these names because you want to follow a similar path, here is how you should actually approach it. Don't just look for "the school"—look at the trajectory.
- Check the Prerequisites: If you're aiming for a PA program like the one at the University of Washington, you need hundreds (sometimes thousands) of hours of direct patient care experience before you even apply.
- Look at UCSF for Research: If you’re interested in 3D printing and orthopaedics like Dr. Dang, look into the UCSF Makers Lab or the Edge Labs. They are the pioneers in this space.
- Verify Credentials: Always use the NPI Registry or state medical boards to see where a provider actually went to school and what their certification is. It clears up the "PA vs. MD" confusion in seconds.
- Network Early: Both Dangs are involved in professional organizations. For PAs, that’s the AAPA or SDPA (for dermatology). For surgeons, it’s the AAOS. Joining these as a student is the best way to see the "real" version of the career.