The 1^st annual Mr. CHP pageant was held on April 15^th, 2010 at MUSC’s Baruch auditorium. Presented by the MUSC PA Class of 2011, this outstanding event was the culmination of our philanthropy project for the Charleston community, benefiting a selected group on John’s Island, SC.

Back in January 2010, a group of PA students volunteered their time to speak at St. John’s High School to their Teen Leadership Club. Though the purpose of meeting was to discuss the physician assistant profession, our attention shifted to these amazing students and their lives on John’s Island. Most of them were accepted to college but were unsure of how they would afford it. Some even had full scholarships but were considering not attending out of fear they would be unable to afford daily living expenses. Moreover, many of them even currently worked after school to help provide for their families. Our class was moved by these teenagers’ stories and wanted to create an event to financially assist them in furthering their education. From this, Mr. CHP was born…

The pageant was composed of one male representative from each of the CHP (College of Health Professions) programs plus faculty and staff. A total of 8 participants geared up for this event consisting of four parts: formal wear, interview questions, swimsuit, and talent. Each added a “creative,” unique, and comical attribute to every element of the pageant, making Mr. CHP a huge success in its first year!

Mr. 2nd Year PT

Mr. OT

Mr. PA

Mr. CHP Faculty

Mr. CHP Staff

Mr. 1st Year PTs

Mr. MHA

Mr. AFN

Dean Karen Wager of CHP, Dr. Jack Thomas of Physical Therapy, and Dr. Suzanne Thomas of the Institute of Psychiatry were guest judges and scored the contestants’ performances throughout the evening. In the end, only one could walk away crowned Mr. CHP’s “Next Top Model.”

The inaugural winner of Mr. CHP 2010 was the PAs’ very own Brian White! The efforts and support of all involved helped raise over $2500 for the new scholarship founded for the St. John’s Teen Leadership student members in their pursuit for a higher education!