$450,000 Medical School Scholarship Available to Minority High School Students

Photo: Case Western Reserve University

The Joan C. Edwards Charitable Foundation has endowed a fund that provide full-tuition scholarships to attend Case Western Reserve University's undergraduate and medical school programs. The scholarship will be available to students attending the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's Cleveland School of Science and Medicine. At least one scholarship will be awarded beginning with the high school class of 2011.

The intent of the scholarship is to get more minority and low income students to become medical doctors. The Cleveland School of Science and Medicine is 88% black. Of the current graduation class of 80 students, 5 students will attend Case next year. The scholarship was announced at the CSSM's annual White Coat Ceremony in which freshmen receive white lab coats. (This mirrors the tradition of medical students receiving white lab coats to mark their transition from preclinical to clinical segment of their education.) The video below was taken at the ceremony by Plain Dealer Photographer Tracy Boulian.

The Joan C. Edwards Charitable Foundation was created after the death Joan Edwards, a philanthropist and jazz singer who lived in Huntington, WV. Her husband, James, who preceeded her in death, owned the National Mattress Company, also based in Huntington. The foundation has committed $10 to $12 million to endow the scholarship. In the words of Thomas M. McDonald, Cleveland distribution director for the foundation: "Mrs. Edwards believed deeply in the importance of giving underrepresented minority and low-income students greater opportunities to become physicians, and that they in turn could provide medical care to underserved populations."

The Medical School at Case Western Reserve University has historically done an exceptional job in the recruitment of African American students. I first became aware of its efforts while an employee at the University. I checked with the school to get the most recent information. Over the course of the last 5 years the percentage of black students enrolled in the medical school has ranged from 11% to 18%, according to Dr. Robert Haynie, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the school. With resources like the scholarship made possible by the Joan C. Edwards Charitable Foundation, these results will only improve. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I also obtained my MBA from the Weatherhead School at Case.)

The Cleveland School of Science and Medicine (CSSM) is "a partnership between the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and nine Cleveland institutions formed to create the nation’s best school of science and medicine and prepare students to be our next generation of leaders. CSSM, in collaboration with its partner institutions, offers a unique college-preparatory education for motivated, high-achieving students interested in entering science or health-related professions." The school was established in 2006 and has a total enrollment of 400, according to its website: http://www.cssmnet.net/.

For more information see: the Plain Dealer, and Case Western Reserve University