Release Date: May 8, This content is archived. That financial barrier is one of the major factors leading to the lack of physicians from underrepresented groups. University at Buffalo medical students Karole Collier and Bradley Frate are part of a statewide effort to change that. Both students in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB were among 10 statewide recipients of the new Diversity in Medicine scholarship first funded by the New York State Legislature in and renewed in the state budget passed last month.
The renewal means that they will have most of their medical school tuition covered for In return, the students must commit to work in a New York State-designated medically underserved community. The yearlong, intense, academic program provides students from economically or educationally underserved areas with guaranteed acceptance at a New York State medical school provided the student successfully completes the program. The highly competitive Diversity in Medicine scholarship is available to post-baccalaureate graduates from any of the AMSNY state-funded pipeline programs.
It is reserved for students with excellent academic track records who also exhibit a dedication and eagerness to practice in underserved communities. For Karole Collier, whose family lives in Brooklyn, the scholarship provides her with the freedom to focus on the underserved. She said that receiving the scholarship was important to her on many levels.
It truly intends to elevate and support those who may be overlooked. Her commitment to the underserved began in her teens, when her father spent a year in the hospital after a routine hernia operation, which should have taken just a few days.
While her father did eventually recover, the experience opened her eyes to how health disparities can affect individuals on a deeply personal level.
