AMASA Scholarships Help Students Achieve a Dream

The AMASA Medical Student Scholarship Fund was established in 2012 to assist rising senior medical students. The scholarship is intended to aid students with financial responsibilities concomitant with interviews and travel in their senior year of medical school. This scholarship is made possible by the Alliance to the Medical Association of the State of Alabama through fundraising events and by general and memorial contributions. Multiple awards of at least $1,000 and up to $10,000 are presented at the annual meeting of the Medical Foundation of Alabama in April of each year.

This year, 19 students applied for the scholarships, and four were chosen to receive funds. It is with great pride that we awarded the following four candidates the 2017 AMASA Medical Student Scholarships, and we wish them all the best with the hope this monetary award helps them accomplish their goals:

Elijah Rogers, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

Elijah, a native of Dothan, has led an indirect path toward the field of medicine, but it was always his lifelong goal. After graduating from Auburn University, he felt medical school would put too much stress on his relationships and would not be possible, so he worked as an environmental scientist for the State of Alabama. He married right after graduating from Auburn, and he became restless and unfulfilled in his career goals a few years after graduating. So, after soul searching and talking to his wife, he decided to quit his job and go to medical school.

Elijah is currently at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, and he and his wife have two children. Though hectic, he felt more balanced in medicine and has excelled. He has a stellar academic record and though he spends most of his time outside of school studying and raising his children, he still carves out time to volunteer doing health screenings in his community.His friend wrote to AMASA and said of him, “Elijah is driven by what is right, not blind ambition.” He hopes to pursue a career in general surgery, and we are honored to help him reach his goal: “To provide for my family; to refine my natural abilities and knowledge in order to apply them to challenging problems, and to serve my community with compassion and bless others as I have been blessed.”

His friend wrote to AMASA and said of him, “Elijah is driven by what is right, not blind ambition.” He hopes to pursue a career in general surgery, and we are honored to help him reach his goal: “To provide for my family; to refine my natural abilities and knowledge in order to apply them to challenging problems, and to serve my community with compassion and bless others as I have been blessed.”

Gerard Holder, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

Gerard is a native of Huntsville, and is currently at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. Though he is early in his training and career, Gerard has already contributed to a great deal of medical research and has an impressive number of publications. He continues to serve his community by participating in Feeding the Gulf Coast as a nutrition assistant, helping educate low-income and at-risk families on healthy eating habits and proper nutrition. He also takes time out of his studies to mentor other students at ACOM and helps them on their paths to becoming physicians.

Gerard is a first-generation college graduate, and he has risen out of a high-risk community. He aspires to train in Medicine or Medicine/Pediatrics and then specialize in Hematology/Oncology. He hopes he can make a large positive contribution to cancer research in his career as a physician.

Amber Dixon, University of Alabama School of Medicine

Amber is an extremely accomplished medical student at The University of Alabama School of Medicine. In addition to excelling in academics and patient care throughout her medical school career, Amber served as the vice president of the Student National Medical Association and secretary of the Global Health Interest Group. She is also coordinator Women in Medicine, where she connects female medical students with female physicians in the area for mentoring, networking and education.Amber is a first-generation college

Amber is a first-generation college student, and writes that most of her friends from her hometown of Kinsey did not go to college. She uses her life experience to encourage students to stay in school and reach their goals. She plans to train in Psychiatry and practice in an underserved area to give her future patients access to care that might be a struggle for them.

Luke Iannuzzi, University of Alabama School of Medicine

Luke is a native of Auburn and attended the University of Kentucky for undergrad. He is married and currently a student at The University of Alabama School of Medicine where he has excelled in research and volunteerism in the field of Pediatrics. He is a member of the Learning Environment Council and the Psychiatry Chair of the Service Learning Committee, in which he helps organize community service projects for medical students. In addition to research and publications, Luke serves as the Vice Chair of the Black Warrior Perinatal Community Action Team, which helped develop and implement strategies to improve perinatal health in Tuscaloosa and surrounding counties. Luke strives to see the entire picture of the patient and treat the whole person, therefore he would like to pursue a career in Family Medicine. He wants to continually strive to do the absolute best for his patients, and we at AMASA have confidence he will do just that.

The Scholarship award process was facilitated by Committee Chair Marie Schneider, Madison County, and Committee members Donna Shergy, Madison County; Karen Alford, Mobile County; and Trudie Sierafi, Montgomery.

Donations to the Scholarship Program can be sent to AMASA Treasurer Mary Beth Lloyd, 5949 Crestwood Circle, Birmingham, AL 35212. In the fall, there will be a plan in place for donations to be made directly to the AMASA Scholarship Fund from retirement accounts.

Article contributed by the Alliance to the Medical Association of the State of Alabama