Karl Bezak, Haiti Scholar, receives a Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             August 11, 2008

AMA Foundation Presents $10,000 Scholarships to Promising Medical Students

Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship for Academic Excellence and Financial Need

CHICAGO - The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation awarded Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarships to fifteen rising fourth-year medical students. Recipients were nominated by their medical school dean and chosen by a selection committee based upon their academic standing and financial status, as well as community involvement, letters of recommendation and personal statement. Each student will receive a $10,000 scholarship to help defray medical school expenses. The recipients are:

• Puya Alikhani, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
• Diana Badillo, Stanford University School of Medicine
• Andrew Barina, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
• Karl Bezak, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
• Rozalina Grubina, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Nadia Hernandez, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• Stephanie Hu, Harvard Medical School
• Arman Kilic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Youssra Marjoua, Yale University School of Medicine
• Monica Patton, University of Vermont College of Medicine
• Janae Phelps, Howard University College of Medicine
• Dominic Sanford, University of Missouri – Columbia
• Javay Ross, UCLA Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science
• Matthew Bivens, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Helena Hart, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

“These medical students represent the very best of the next generation of U.S. physicians,” said AMA Foundation President Jean Howard. “Their academic achievements as well as their leadership and volunteer activities speak to their commitment to make a difference in the medical profession.”

As the philanthropic arm of the American Medical Association, the AMA Foundation has made it a priority to assist medical students in handling the rising cost of medical education. The Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarships were created in 2004 to provide financial assistance to medical students facing spiraling medical school debt. On average, medical students in the U.S. graduate with a debt load of nearly $140,000.

“The increase in average student debt loads and the declining availability of scholarship assistance threaten our ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest talent,” said Howard.  “High loan payments may deter students from following a career path into primary care medicine.”

Since its founding in 1950, the AMA Foundation has advanced the health care of America through medical school scholarships, research grants and public health initiatives. Visit www.amafoundation.org for more information about the AMA Foundation’s programs.

For more information, please contact:                                         

Dina Lindenberg

Program Officer

dina.lindenberg@ama-assn.org

(312) 464-4193