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Dr. Donald Pedersen has been involved with the University of Utah's Physician Assistant Program (UPAP) since 1979, initially serving as academic coordinator. He has been the program director since 1988 after attaining a faculty appointment in the department of family and preventive medicine in the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Pedersen is now a full professor and has authored over 45 articles and book chapters relating to clinical practice and physician assistant education. Under Dr. Pedersen's leadership UPAP became a graduate program in the School of Medicine offering the master's of physician assistant studies degree. In 2001, he initiated the Combat Medic/Corpsman Memorial Sculpture project that culminated in July of 2003 with a life-sized sculpture at the entrance to the PA building on the University of Utah campus. He helped pioneer the program's international clinical activity in Papua New Guinea and Thailand.

Nationally, he is a past president of the Association of Physician Assistant Programs and in 1998 he founded the Association's official journal, Perspective on Physician Assistant Education, which he continues to edit. He also created the association's Research Institute that provides small grants for educational research by PA program faculty on a national level. During his tenure with the Association, he established a liaison position with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and served in this capacity for two years. Dr. Pedersen is currently the vice president of the Physician Assistant Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. He was on the state of Utah's physician assistant licensing board for 10 years, serving two years as chair.