Even before the pandemic, a nationwide doctor shortage was looming. Now it’s even more pronounced.
Because of that shortage, UB moved Jacobs Medical School downtown in 2017 to train 25% more doctors and increase the size of each class from 140 to 180.
It’s also why local doctors and community leaders are making tackling this issue a top priority.
Since 2012, the Western New York Medical Scholarship Fund, an independent grassroots community organization, has offered scholarships to Western New York students who have attended the Jacobs School, remained there after completing their training, and pledged to practice medicine. offers money.
“This initiative was inspired by local doctors and local business leaders recognizing the need to keep the best and brightest medical students in Western New York after they graduate from the school.” We are very fortunate to have our alumni and community leaders so committed to this important endeavor.”
John Bodkin, a Jacobs School alumnus, president of Highgate Medical, and family physician who has practiced for 40 years, leads this responsibility.
“We are a group of independent physician, community and business leaders who have seen firsthand the shortage of physicians in western New York,” he says. “Our goal is simple: we want the doctors who trained here to have a career here. Train here, stay here.”
The scholarship addresses an important factor contributing to the doctor shortage. Surveys of medical students show that the debt students incur to go to medical school drives their medical school choice and subsequent specialization.
In addition, the aging of doctors and higher salaries in big cities also contribute to a shortage of workers in places like Buffalo.
The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that by 2034 there will be a national shortage of up to 124,000 doctors nationwide. It is estimated that more than half of them may be primary care physicians. West New York also has one of the lowest numbers of doctors per 100,000 population in the state, according to statewide estimates over the past decade.
Since it first began accepting donations in 2012, the scholarship fund has raised over $4 million from private donors, local hospitals, insurance companies and other businesses. To date he has distributed scholarships to 31 students at Jacobs Her School. Over the years, its mission has ranged from efforts to keep more Jacobs School graduates local, regardless of specialization, to emphasizing specialties such as primary care where community needs are particularly acute. has evolved into
Last month, the foundation awarded two scholarships to Meghan Cloutier and Tanya Velma, both graduating this week with their MD degrees. I plan to receive primary care training.
“This scholarship will allow me to pursue my passion for primary care, taking some of the stress out of worrying about a large amount of student debt to pay in the future,” says Verma. “We are proud to be here and serve our community while maintaining a strong support system of family, friends and mentors.”
Brashear adds: “By choosing to remain in Western New York, scholarship recipients like Meghan and Tanya are helping improve access to healthcare and reduce gaps in the continuum of healthcare delivery.”
Scholarship fund representatives recently gave a presentation to the Buffalo Common Council to explain the doctor shortage and how it affects particularly underserved areas of the city. Its latest initiative is to raise funds for scholarships to support underrepresented medical students in medicine who are committed to working in underserved areas of the region.
“We are focused on educating local leaders and their constituents on this issue,” says Bodkin. “We want to educate underrepresented West New York students in the field of medicine that if they are interested in medicine, they can become doctors, trained at the Jacobs School, and have a career here in Buffalo while caring for their own community. We want them to know they can do it, and we want to help them get there.”
Improving the number of underrepresented doctors in the area is also a priority for the Jacobs School, which established the Jonathan D. Daniels MD ’98 & Family Memorial Scholarship last year.
Psychiatrists are another specialty in short supply, especially since mental health needs have surged nationwide, especially since the pandemic. In conjunction with the Scholarship Fund, the Patrick P. Lee Foundation raised approximately $1 million to fund additional scholarships to become psychiatrists that Jacobs graduates of her school pledged to remain in western New York. provided.
To be eligible for these scholarships, applicants must meet very selective criteria: They must have graduated from high school in one of the eight counties of western New York, be academically strong, be financially It must indicate a need.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must pledge to stay and practice in western New York for five years after completing their training. The purpose of the scholarship is to fund the majority of a student’s medical school tuition.
To donate to the WNY Medical Scholarship Fund, please visit Giving to UB.