Scholarships and Fellowships listed below.
Statement
The goal of the Physician Assistant (PA) Program of the University of Lynchburg is to recruit, educate and mentor PAs from diverse backgrounds to become compassionate health care providers with an emphasis on teamwork, communication, and patient-centered care.
We value and embrace a diverse community that reflects different races and national origin, ethnicity, age, culture, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, spiritual practice, and mental and physical ability/disability.
The dynamic interdisciplinary advanced curriculum will facilitate the highest standard of patient care while also creating leaders within medicine, local and global communities, and accelerating the advancement of the profession.
“Ensuring diverse public health and healthcare workforces to provide services to diverse populations, in combination with other strategies, can increase access to and quality of healthcare for vulnerable populations and decrease healthcare disparities.”
-Bouye KE, McCleary KJ, Williams KB. Increasing diversity in the health professions: reflections on student pipeline programs. J Heal Sci Humanit. 2016;6(1):67-79.
Scholarships and Fellowships
Below is a list of scholarships and fellowships available to PA students from diverse backgrounds.
Scholarships
AAPA Rural Health Caucus Scholarship
Awarded by the PA Foundation to students from a rural area who are committed to serving a rural community.
Joyce Nichols Memorial Scholarship
Awarded by the PA Foundation to students who identify as Black.
NCCPA Endowed Scholarship
Awarded by the PA Foundation to students who identify as an underrepresented minority and/or economically disadvantaged and/or educationally disadvantaged.
Timi Agar Barwick Scholarship for Humanism in Medicine
Awarded by the PA Foundation to students who identify as an underrepresented minority and/or economically disadvantaged and/or educationally disadvantaged.
Prentiss L. Harrison Memorial/African Heritage PA Caucus Scholarship 2020
This scholarship was created to provide financial assistance to AHPAC student members who are considered an under-represented minority within the PA profession and/or considered an economically disadvantaged individual. Awarded by the Physician Assistants for Latino Health for demonstration of leadership in the Latino community and interest in latino health issues (applicants do not need to be of Latino descent to apply for scholarship).
Financial Aid Scholarships for Children of Incarcerated Parents
Growing up and attending college while a parent is incarcerated can be challenging. Several organizations have started scholarships to assist families of incarcerated individuals. These scholarships are open to students who have or had at least one incarcerated parent.
College and Scholarship Guide for Students Transitioning from Foster Care to Higher Education
Foster youth often have a difficult experience transitioning into college. This guide discusses scholarships, grants, and resources that aim help foster youth thrive in a college environment.
Scholarships for Rural Students in Higher Education
Students who live in rural areas may face difficulties accessing higher education. Scholarships designed for rural students can help improve that access.
Fellowships
LBGT PA Caucus Student Leaders Fellowship
Student Leader Fellows are out and openly self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender diverse PA student members of the LBGT PA Caucus who are chosen through a competitive selection process to participate in a 12-month fellowship to foster leadership and professional development within the PA profession.
Student Leader Fellowship, jointly offered by the LBGT PA and African Heritage Caucuses
The purpose of the fellowship is for leaders in medicine to reflect the communities we serve. When the first few cohorts of the LBGT PA Caucus Student Leaders Fellowship were each appointed or elected to serve in a board leadership role within 3 years of graduation, we realized the fellowship’s potential, as well as it’s gaps – no alumni identified as black or of African heritage. This jointly-sponsored fellowship was piloted in 2020 in the hopes that, together, we can support PA students who identify as black or of African heritage, as well as LGBT, and who desire service through leadership.
Student Leader Fellowship, jointly offered by the LBGT PA and PAs for Latino Health (PALH) Caucuses
The purpose of the fellowship is for leaders in medicine to reflect the communities we serve. When the first few cohorts of the LBGT PA Caucus Student Leaders Fellowship were each appointed or elected to serve in a board leadership role within 3 years of graduation, we realized the fellowship’s potential, as well as its gaps — few alumni identified with Latino/a/x or Hispanic heritage. This jointly-sponsored fellowship was piloted in 2020 in the hopes that, together, we can support PA students who identify as Latino/a/x or of Hispanic heritage, as well as LGBT, and who desire service through leadership.
