Medical School Student Named AMA Foundation Minority Scholar

MINNEAPOLIS / ST.PAUL (May 27, 2009)– University of Minnesota Medical School student Suzanne Garber was announced as an American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation 2009 Minority Scholars Award recipient. As one of only 12 medical students in the country selected, she will receive a $10,000 scholarship in recognition of excellence as a medical student who shows outstanding promise for a career in medicine.

Garber is a second-year medical student who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in aerospace engineering.  After a successful career as a senior software engineer, Garber pursued medical school because she wanted to help improve the medical care of the Hispanic-migrant and seasonal-farm workers in Minnesota and North Dakota.  She said it’s a population she‘s helped serve with her mother, a nurse, since she was a teenager. 

Garber is committed to providing care to underrepresented minorities as well as mentoring them through medical school recruitment and retention programs.  She is a leader in the medical school and her community, serving as co-president of the school’s Student National Medical Association chapter and volunteering at Sabathani Community Center, which provides individuals with basic needs, life skills, education, and a supportive environment.

 James Pacala, M.D., associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, said Garber is widely recognized as an ardent advocate for the underserved. 

“She is exactly the type of student needed to lead the next generation of doctors in addressing the complex issues facing health care,” Pacala said.

The Minority Scholars Award, given in collaboration with the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium, with support from Pfizer Inc., promotes diversity in the medical profession and helps with the rising cost of medical education. 

The awards recognize scholastic achievement, financial need, and commitment to improving minority health 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 accomplishments of Suzanne Garber, and to provide her with substantial financial assistance for medical school,” said Jean Howard, AMA Foundation president. “Her academic achievements as well as a variety of activities in her community speak to her commitment to positively impact the health of minority populations and the health care system in the United States.”

The AMA Foundation has made it a priority to help medical students handle the rising cost of their education. On average, future physicians graduate approximately $155,000 in debt, and in many cases, the debt load is much higher. A higher debt burden may deter many from practicing in underserved areas of the country, in medical education and research, or practicing primary care medicine.

The AMA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation, is committed to improving the health of Americans through philanthropic support of quality programs in public health and medical education.  Visit www.amafoundation.org to learn more. 

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

Contact:
Jen Faris, Academic Health Center, 612-626-4784 or faris010@umn.edu
Laura Stroup, Academic Health Center, 612-624-5680 or stro0481@umn.edu