Trevecca Community Mourns Loss of PA Program Founder Dr. Earl E. Vastbinder

Dr. Earl Edward Vastbinder passed away on November 17 at the age of 90. An academic pioneer at Trevecca, he established the school’s physician assistant (PA) program, the first in Tennessee, in 1976.

In beginning a tenure that lasted nearly a decade at Trevecca Nazarene College, as it was called then, Vastbinder served as chairman of the Allied Health Department. A year prior to his call to Trevecca and Christian higher education, he had advocated for and helped establish a physician assistant program at the University of Kentucky, in response to a need for more rural healthcare.

“Our prayers are with Dr. Vastbinder’s family as we reflect on his groundbreaking legacy–a legacy that remains crucial to Trevecca’s success as well as its history,” said Trevecca President Dr. Dan Boone. “We’re grateful for the example of Christian service he provided throughout his impactful career in medicine.”

Vastbinder was raised in Dayton, Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Dayton and an M.D. degree from Ohio State University. He served in the Air Force as a captain at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana, before moving to Lexington, Ky., where he served as the first director of the University of Kentucky’s clinical associates program.

During a sabbatical year with Trevecca, Vastbinder trained primary care workers with Nazarene Compassionate Ministry in Haiti and South Africa. After his tenure on the Hill, he worked for Vanderbilt University in pediatric medicine and as a student health physician.

Trevecca presented Vastbinder with the McClurkan Award in 1986.

Visitation will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville at noon on Friday, November 21, with a memorial service to follow at 1 p.m. A private graveside service will be held that morning. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Samaritan’s Purse, Child Evangelism Fellowship or Covenant Presbyterian Church.