males make up a very small percentage of health-care providers , and often students feel their dedication and hard work is overlooked ,” said Dr . Anthony Speights , senior associate dean for Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences . “ The aim of this scholarship is to shed light on African-American women who are making a difference in the FSU community through academics and service to their community .”
Gerard Acloque is CEO and founder of Florida Concierge Medicine & Wellness , which provides direct primary care in South Florida . He hopes the scholarship will inspire minority students with the potential for medical school . Like Nadine , his story is one that resonates . “ My desire is to grow minority interest in medicine ,” he said . “ I want to be someone they can look at as an example of what is possible .”
If you are interested in contributing to this endowed scholarship fund , or wish to support other efforts to produce more physicians who will practice in areas of greatest need , please contact Jim McNeill , assistant dean for development : jim . mcneill @ med . fsu . edu ( 850 ) 644-4389 .
TOPPLING BARRIERS FOR FUTURE PHYSICIANS
The Karen Toffler Charitable Trust already supported College of Medicine neuroscientists through the Toffler Scholar Program . In September , the trust extended its support to future physicians with a strong history of providing care for medically underserved populations .
The Bridge Program at Florida State is designed to identify and prepare candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine for admission to medical school ( see page 45 ). The masters-level program has produced nearly 200 FSU medical students since inception in 2001 , and to date more than 72 % of Bridge / College of Medicine alumni have matched into primary-care residency programs .
Nearly half of Bridge participants that are now in practice are working in a medically underserved area , where recruiting physicians can be a challenge .
Many Bridge students come from disadvantaged backgrounds . One impediment to choosing primary-care specialties is the weight of educational debt , which can lead graduates toward higher-paying specialties .
“ This support will decrease the overall debt load of Bridge students in hopes that it will reinforce their desire to work in an underserved community ,” said Dr . Anthony Speights , senior associate dean for Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences and director of the Bridge to Clinical Medicine Master ’ s Program .
The College of Medicine ’ s mission to be responsive to community needs is closely tied to producing more primary-care physicians , and more doctors willing to serve in the areas and communities with the greatest needs .
Often , those communities are in rural areas or communities with many Black or Hispanic residents lacking adequate access to medical care . The College of Medicine has been successful in identifying and graduating such physicians , in part because of financial support from organizations such as the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust .
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