Page 20 - MSM Bloomberg Scholarship

Bloomberg Scholarship Impact

Making Student Dreams A Reality

Has the financial
Nina Wyatt burden of medical school dress the shortage because
it will address the health
Fayetteville, GA been particularly difficult care disparities that our
3rd-year M.D. student for you? The financial nation is facing today.

What first interested you in burden causes tremendous
your program of study or medi- anxiety. Receiving this Do you volunteer with
cine? The first thing that interested scholarship support, gives any organizations? I am
me in the field was when my dad me hope that I will have the president of Health
developed prostate cancer. I had the the opportunity to realize Students taking Action To-
opportunity to observe his doctor my dreams of becoming a gether (HSTAT), which al-
and the care provided. After that, physician, serving the underserved lows students to focus on changing
I could not see myself doing any- healthcare community. legislative acts that cause healthcare
thing else. injustice. It also includes different
Please share how scholarship initiatives that involve medical vol-

Why did you choose Morehouse support helps you — academical- unteering, and medical treatment
School of Medicine? I chose MSM ly, professionally, and personally? to underserved and underrepre-
because of its focus on serving This scholarship allows me to leave sented minorities, incarcerated
the underserved. I knew it would school without the thought of individuals, and the homeless.
provide me the opportunity to give saddling financial debt. I allows me
back to the community in which I assurance that I can work to be the If you could say or do one thing
was raised. My experience at MSM best physician I can be. It allows my to thank the Bloomberg Philanthro-
has been truly amazing. center focus to just be treating pa- pies’ Greenwood Initiative, what
tients without the looming feeling would it be? Words cannot express
Was the institution’s mission of my financial responsibilities that the amount of lives that you have
important to you, when you were will come six months after grad- changed. Thank you so much for
choosing a medical school? It was uation, when I am still not in the choosing to be a catalyst in the
very important, especially since I financial position to pay those loans mission that black lives do matter
have a lot of my family members on a Resident’s salary. in health care.
that fall into the category of the un- Change begins with assuring
derserved and underprivileged. It What is your take on the na- that people of color have access to
meant a lot to me that MSM’s focus tionwide shortage of Black doctors? physicians that are relatable and
was to service that population in all The shortage is not surprising, look like them. It makes more of a
that it does. when you experience the many difference than you can even imag-
hurdles it takes as a person of color ine to have a physician you feel that

Have you had any difficult to even get into medical school. It you can trust from the moment you
challenges in your medical/health- makes you feel that the odds are walk in the door.
care school journey? I suffer from a against you. It is important to ad-
learning disability that I really tried
to avoid until it became too much
in my first year of medical school. Words cannot express the amount of
I still have challenges, however; lives that you have changed. Thank you
the support I have received from “ so much for choosing to be a catalyst in
the school and faculty have been a the mission that black lives do matter in
tremendous help. health care.