State Legislature Taps MC Students, Graduates for Rural Health Scholarship Program

Current MC students selected to participate in the undergraduate portion of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program include, from left, Kaitlin Williams, Madison Ely, Austin Frisbie, Sukhbir Sohal, and Ethan Tullos.

Nine current or former Mississippi College students have been selected to participate in scholarship programs designed to increase the number of physicians and dentists serving the healthcare needs of citizens living in rural areas of the state.

Rebecca Grewe of Flora, who received her B.S. in biology medical sciences in 2022, and Max Pappas of Laurel, who received his B.S. in biology medical sciences in 2021, are among 62 medical students to receive the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship, which provides $35,000 per year to support their medical education. Justin P. Sudduth of Ridgeland, a former MC student, also received the scholarship.

Pappas is attending the University of Mississippi Medical Center, while Grewe and Sudduth are enrolled in the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Five current MC students chosen to participate in the undergraduate portion of the program include Madison Ely of Vancleave, a junior in the Chemistry Medical Sciences Program; Austin Frisbie of Vancleave, a senior in the Biology Medical Sciences Program; Sukhbir Sohal of Vicksburg, a junior in the Biology Medical Sciences Program; Ethan Tullos of Florence, a senior in the Biology Medical Sciences Program; and Kaitlin Williams of Hernando, a senior in the Biology Medical Sciences Program.

Jasmine Gilliard of Tremont, a senior in the Biology Medical Sciences Program at MC, was selected to participate in the undergraduate portion of the Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program.

Dr. Stan Baldwin, dean of the School of Science and Mathematics, said the students are representative of the high-quality health sciences education available at Mississippi College.

“We are proud of all of our premedical and predental students who have been accepted to professional schools,” Baldwin said. “They enter the next phase of their journey with confidence that at MC, they had the best preparation for medical/dental school available anywhere in the country.

“Many of them choose to participate in the Rural Scholarship Program at UMMC. This indicates the passion our graduates have for meeting the healthcare needs of the underserved in the state of Mississippi.”

Created in 2007 by the Mississippi Legislature, the MRPSP identifies rural college students who aspire to return to their roots to practice medicine. It provides a means for the students to earn funding for a seat in medical school in return for four years of service. The scholars receive academic support while learning the art of healing from practicing rural physicians.

Upon completion of medical school, MRPSP scholars must enter a residency program in one of six primary care specialties: family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatrics, medicine-pediatrics, psychiatry, or obstetrics/gynecology. The scholars must provide four years of service in a clinic-based practice in an approved Mississippi community of 15,000 or fewer located more than 20 miles from a medically served area.

The undergraduate portion of the program offers academic enrichment and a clinical experience in a rural setting to college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate the necessary commitment and academic achievement to become competent, well-trained rural primary care physicians in Mississippi. Upon completion of all medical school admission requirements, participating students can use the scholarship at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine or the William Carey College of Osteopathic Medicine. The scholars will then be subject to the terms of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship.

The MRPSP enables capable young Mississippians address health care challenges in the state. Maintaining a high level of awareness and involvement in Mississippi’s rural health care is a constant in every phase of training. Students can apply for the program as undergraduates or as admitted medical students.

Similar to the MRPSP, the MRDSP was created in 2013 by the Mississippi Legislature to identify rural college students who aspire to return to their roots to practice general dentistry. The program provides the means for rural Mississippi students to earn funding for a seat in dental school in return for four years of service. The scholars receive academic support while learning the art of dentistry from practicing rural physicians.

The program offers academic enrichment and a clinical experience in a rural setting to college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate the necessary commitment and academic achievement to become competent, well-trained rural dentists in Mississippi. Upon completion of all dental school admission requirements, participating students can use the scholarship at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry.

During dental school, each scholar may receive $35,000 per year, personalized mentoring from practicing rural dentists, and academic support. In return, the MRDSP participant must provide four years of service in a practice in an approved Mississippi community of 10,000 or fewer people located more than 20 miles from a medically served area.

For more information about the MRPSP or the MRDSP, visit www.umc.edu/mrpsp or call Steven Carter, MRPSP associate director, at 601.815.9022 or email him at jscarter@umc.edu.