Under Represented in Medicine (URM) Scholarships

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine’s history and mission reflect a dedication to the educational, intellectual, professional, and personal development of a diverse group of exceptional students. The Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine proactively recruits medical students with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds—representative of the communities they will go on to serve.

Financial aid in the form of scholarships helps to ensure that the extraordinary opportunities the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine provides are open to qualified students from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The following scholarships have been established by generous donors including alumni, family, and friends to support under represented in medicine (URM) medical students at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine:

  • Medical School Minority Scholarship Fund: Established in 1974, this fund supports under represented medical students, with a preference for African Americas, Puerto Ricans, and Native Indians.
  • Kenneth C. Edelin Scholarship Fund: Established in 2006 by Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin, Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology and former Associate Dean for Students and Minority Affairs, and alumni and friends. Dr. Edelin became the first African American Chief Resident in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and he went on to be Chairman of the department at the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine from 1978 until 1989. The fund supports under represented first and second year medical students, including the EMSSP program.
  • Ronald L. Ragland, MD Scholarship Fund: Established in 2005 by Ronald L. Ragland, M.D. (’82), this endowed scholarship’s goal is to support inclusiveness and diversity within the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine student body. Dr. Ragland is a noted Neuroradiologist, Scholar and The Boston University Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow, 1978 -1982. The RLR, M.D. Scholarship supports medical students from traditionally underrepresented American demographics in their pursuit of medical education. Recipients of this scholarship have the following attributes:
    • An innate drive to provide compassionate, humane patient care for all patients as well as a specific sensitivity to patients at socioeconomic margins.
    • A record of academic excellence and/or demonstrable potential to achieve at high scholastic levels.
    • A commitment to beneficence in the practice of medicine which is the moral foundation of the medical profession, primum non nocere.
  • Christmas-Eastman-Fuller Endowed Scholarship Fund: This fund was established by Elizabeth C. Dooling, MD (’65) in 2017 in honor June Christmas (’49), one of the School’s “living legends” and former New York City Commissioner of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Service; Charles Eastman, MD, the School’s first Native American graduate; and Solomon Carter Fuller, MD, the first African American male psychiatrist and one of the first faculty members in the United States. The fund supports deserving medical students from an under-represented in medicine group, with a preference for African American males.
  • Kewalramani-Kulkarni Endowed Scholarship Fund: This fund was established by Reshma Kewalramani, MD (’98) in 2019 to support students in good academic standing, with a preference for women and students from underrepresented minority backgrounds.
  • EMSSP Endowed Scholarship Fund: This fund was anonymously established in 2019 to support medical students who matriculated through the Early Medical School Selection Program (EMSSP).
  • Gladys C. Polk Scholarship Fund: Established by John I. Polk, MD (’74) in 2003, this fund provides an annual scholarship to a deserving medical student enrolled at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine who matriculated through the Early Medical School Selection Program.
  • Arnold and Doris Wong Scholarship Fund: This scholarship was established in 2007 by Amber Wong and Arnold Wong, Jr., in memory of their parents, Doris and Arnold Wong, MD (’59). This fund supports medical students based on financial need, with a preference for Asian students.
  • Rachel Boone Keith Scholarship Fund: The scholarship was established in 2007 by her family as a tribute to Dr. Rachel Boone Keith (’48), one of the early African American female graduates of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. As a medical trailblazer, she fought bigotry, racism and sexism. This scholarship fund continues her advocacy for African American women in the medical profession.
  • Ruth Batson Scholarship Fund: This fund supports Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine students who are financially or culturally disadvantaged.
  • Rebecca Lee Crumpler Scholarship Fund
  • Robert Witzburg, MD,’77 Scholarship Fund: This scholarship was established in 2017 to honor the 44+ years of dedicated service to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine of Robert Witzburg, MD ’77. This fund supports deserving entering medical students with financial need and a demonstrated commitment to serving disadvantaged communities.

To support any of these URM Scholarship Funds, please go to BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Development Giving Page to donate. For any questions about scholarship funds or donations, please contact cameddev@bu.edu.