Scholarships established at the Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society invest in a diverse future physician workforce. In March 2023, the Foundation partnered with WellSpan Health to bring a Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit to William Penn High School in York, Pennsylvania to impact the next generation of physicians.
A gift provided by a generous Foundation donor supported activities for students in 7th–12th grade as they explored their interest in the health care field. The core value of the Black Men in White Coats campaign is to increase the number of black and brown students pursuing careers in medicine.
Executive Director, Heather Wilson MSW, CFRE, CAE, FCPP said that “Scholarships focused on strengthening the diversity of physicians is a fundamental priority. We strive to gain more students who authentically look, speak, and understand the communities they will serve.” In the last five years, the Foundation added four additional scholarships to advance its commitment to ensure a diverse cultural composition of medical school classes in the Commonwealth.
Your generous financial support to the Foundation and its scholarship program gives opportunity to medical school students like Bryson Hoover-Hankerson, who participated in the Black Men in White Coats event as a current medical student. Bryson notes that representation in medicine is important. “Many patients have expressed their desire to see a black physician. I think cultural familiarity can make trust between physician and patient a lot smoother in many instances.”
Originally from Harrisburg, Bryson, a student at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University shared that mentorship is his passion. During his first year of medical school, he co-founded the diversity council at Lewis Katz
School of Medicine to challenge discriminatory policies. He is also a founding member of Tri-State Black Men in Medicine, a group dedicated to increasing the number of black males in medicine via mentorship and service. “During the Black
Men in White Coats event, I interacted with a lot of high school students who want to achieve great things,” Bryson said. “They just need an opportunity.”
Foundation trustee, Lynda Thomas-Mabine, MD, encouraged Bryson to apply for scholarships available from the Foundation. “I have to give her all of the credit in alerting me to the opportunities the Foundation has for black future physicians in medicine,” Bryson said.
The Foundation’s Scholarship Program ensures the availability of scholarships for minority and underrepresented medical students.