Major Medical Assistance

School of Medicine Holds 2009 Scholarship Dinner

At the third annual School of Medicine Scholarship Dinner, held on January 15, 2009, 246 students received scholarship assistance totaling $2.4 million. “This year I am especially honored by the presence of our generous donors,” said Robert R. Rich, M.D., senior vice president and dean of the School of Medicine. “The generosity of donors like you lessens the impact of these trying economic times and helps us continue to attract the best and brightest students to the field of medicine.”

H. Hughes Evans, M.D., senior associate dean for medical education, also addressed the group, followed by student Dana L. Todd, an ALFA Rural Medical Scholar. “I have always dreamt of becoming a small-town physician,” she said. “The Alfa Rural Medical Scholars Program Endowment has helped offset the enormous amount of debt accumulated during the pursuit of my medical education, but more importantly, it has helped to keep my primary focus on my education and my potential to someday impact health care in small communities.”

Student Shannon E. Simpson, a recipient of the Henry Harland Hoffman Medical Scholarship, also spoke and introduced the guest speaker for whom this scholarship was named—Henry H. Hoffman, Ph.D., admissions consultant and professor emeritus of cell biology. His remarks preceded a special presentation by Dr. Rich.