Outstanding CU Medical Student Named AMA Foundation Minority Scholar
(CHICAGO) – The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation is proud to announce April Singleton, of Creighton University School of Medicine, as a 2008 Minority Scholars Award recipient. As one of only 12 medical students in the country, she will receive a $10,000 scholarship in recognition of her excellence as a medical student and outstanding promise for a future career in medicine.
From Columbia, South Carolina, Singleton is a second-year medical student at Creighton University School of Medicine. She is actively involved in providing care to the uninsured, volunteering at the Free Medical Clinic of Columbia and the university’s student-run Magis Clinic. She is involved in many organizations at the university, including the Student Advancement Committee, Medical Health Science Student Association, Student National Medical Association, the AMA Medical Student Section, and various special interest groups. Additionally, she is conducting research on mental health and the homeless, identifying psychological profiles that are prevalent in the homeless population in Omaha.
The Minority Scholars Award recognizes scholastic achievement and promise for the future among first or second-year medical students in groups defined as “historically underrepresented” in the medical profession. Less than seven percent of U.S. physicians fall within these groups, which include African American/Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino.
“We are pleased to recognize the outstanding achievements of April Singleton, and to provide her with substantial financial assistance for medical school,” said Barbara Rockett, MD, AMA Foundation President. “Her academic accomplishments as well as a variety of activities in her community speak to her commitment to make a difference in the health of minority populations and the medical profession.”
The AMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Medical Association, has made a priority of helping medical students handle the rising cost of their education. On average, future physicians graduate approximately $130,000 in debt, and in many cases the debt load is much higher.
Since its founding in 1950, the AMA Foundation has contributed more than $90 million in educational, research and public health grants.
The Minority Scholars Awards are given in collaboration with the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium, with support from Pfizer Inc.
For more School of Medicine News, please click here. June 17, 2008
