UNIVERSITY of VIRGINIA C O L U M N S SCHOOL OF CONTINUING & PROFESSIONAL STUDIES FALL 2009 DISHNER SCHOLARSHIP HELPS U.VA. STRENGTHEN RURAL HEALTH Photo: Dan Addison If there is one thing the students in the University of Virginia Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program have in common it is their exceptional idealism. Although they come from all walks of life, they are drawn to medicine not by the lure of a lucrative practice, but by the opportunity to serve. They are willing to pursue their high aspirations despite the sacrifices that a late start entails. “Our goal at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) is to help them take advantage of every opportunity that will strengthen their qualifications to enter medical school,” says Beth Bailey, the director for the program. “But on a fundamental level, we’re here to help them realize their ideals.” The newly announced Dishner Rural Health Care Scholarship will reinforce this idealism. Created by a bequest of Dr. Paul F. Dishner, a native of rural Scott County in southwest Virginia, it is intended for those students who wish to practice in underserved rural areas, with preference for students planning to serve in the mountain regions of Appalachia, including southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee. Dishner Scholars will receive a low-interest loan that covers all or part of their tuition and fees. After the recipients complete their education and work in an underserved area, the loans will be forgiven. This year’s winner, Katherine “Licia” Hedian, is exactly the type of person for whom the Dishner Scholarship was created. Hedian is an educator, nurse practitioner, and a certified nurse midwife who received part of her training in Kentucky and worked in rural Tennessee. Her loan covered her last semester’s tuition in the program. “I felt honored, relieved, and happy to receive the award,” she says. “I took out a loan to return to school, so the funding helps. And it is gratifying to know that the depth of my commitment to rural health care has been recognized.” “We are very pleased to be able to make the Dishner Scholarship available to our students,” Bailey says. “It is one way that SCPS contributes to the University’s goal of reducing health care disparities in rural areas of the Commonwealth.” Anna Dishner Gamble arranged the scholarship gift at the bequest of her brother. Gamble, a friend of SCPS, serves on the School’s Advisory Board. I N S I D E Recognizing Research at the FBI Strengthening Workforce Development Setting Our Sights High Faculty Meet Online Delivering a Broad Online Portfolio Adopting a New Student System Establishing an Enviable Track Record While there is no guarantee that enrollment in the University of Virginia Post-Baccalaureate PreMedical Program will secure a student acceptance to medical school, the record of previous cohorts suggests that graduates of the program are extremely well prepared. Twelve of the 14 students in the first cohort were accepted to medical school, as were all 19 in the second cohort, which garnered an impressive 63 acceptances. Second cohort students started medical school this fall at such U.S. News & World Report top 50 schools as Johns Hopkins, the University of North Carolina, Emory, the University of Virginia, Ohio State, New York University, Albert Einstein, and Tufts. The 23 students in the third cohort are currently preparing their applications during their glide year, while the fourth cohort of 20 students began class in June. Find out more: www.scps.virginia.edu/postbac Columns is published twice a year by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia. Writer: Charles Feigenoff Editor: Jane Paluda Graphic Designer: Elaine Melton