Are you sharing in the excitement of someone who's just been accepted to medical school?
If one of the first steps is figuring out how to fund the next four years, Texas Medical Association’s Diversity in Medicine Scholarship is here to offer assistance for members of racial minorities that are underrepresented in Texas medical schools and the state’s physician workforce.
TMA created the Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program (previously named the TMA Minority Scholarship) in 1998 to help diversify the physician workforce and better meet Texans’ health care needs. Students who are Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Native American are eligible for the $10,000 scholarships.
“The patient population [and] the social demographics in Texas are changing, and we need to have physicians that resemble these demographics,” said Jayesh B. Shah, MD, who serves on the TMA Board of Trustees and chairs its Educational Scholarship and Loan (ESL) Committee.
The board approved renaming the former TMA Minority Scholarship upon recommendation from TMA’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force.
Scholarships are awarded to one student at each of Texas’ 16 medical schools.
Students who will enter medical school this fall can apply for the scholarships until May 31. In addition to the application, students must submit an essay and provide a letter of acceptance with the intent to attend.
“TMA is committed to addressing health disparities, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed even more,” said Sue Bornstein, MD, of Dallas, immediate past chair of TMA’s ESL Committee. “These scholarships are a concrete way TMA helps ensure the continued representation of minority students in our medical schools and eventually in our workforce.
“If you know someone who could benefit from these scholarships, please encourage them to apply,” said Dr. Bornstein.
Find more information on the TMA website or via email.
TMA’s 2024 Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program is funded by TMA Foundation with generous support from its Bayardo Trust and Patrick Y. Leung, MD, Endowment and annual gifts from H-E-B, Baldemar Covarrubias, MD, TMA county medical societies and gifts from physicians and their families.