Twelve minority students entering Texas medical schools this fall each will benefit from a $10,000 scholarship thanks to the TMA Diversity in Medicine Scholarship program. Physicians selected the students for their academic achievement, commitment to community service, and desire to care for Texas’ increasingly diverse population.
TMA created the program in 1998 to help diversify the physician workforce to meet the health care needs of Texans.
The TMA Educational Scholarship, Loan, and Awards Committee chose one recipient for each Texas medical school from a competitive field of promising future physicians. The
TMA Foundation (TMAF), the association’s philanthropic arm, funds the program.
The scholarship encourages minority students to attend medical school by lessening the
financial burden of their postgraduate education, which now averages more than $175,000. TMA has awarded 136 scholarships totaling $847,500 since the program’s inception, thanks to generous gifts from TMAF donor physicians and their families, major supporters, and others.
Recipients are known as the “Bayardo Scholars” in recognition of the majority support provided by the TMA Foundation Trust Fund of Roberto J. Bayardo, MD, and Agniela (Annie) M. Bayardo, of Houston.
The incoming first-year students who were announced today as Bayardo Scholars were:
Mahmoud Abdulbaki of Garland graduates from The University of Texas (UT) at Dallas this month with a degree in biochemistry and will attend UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine this fall.
Alejandro Aquino of Pharr received a master of public health degree from Duke University in Durham, N.C. He plans to study at UT Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine.
Alberto Cantúa of McAllen receives his bachelor’s degree in biology from UTRGV this month and will attend The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Medicine in the fall.
Kayla Daniels of San Antonio is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in biomedical science. She will attend Texas A&M College of Medicine.
Bonnie Du of Brownsville earned her bachelor’s degree in prehealth studies from the University of Notre Dame. She will study at Dell Medical School at UT Austin.
Orlando Martinez Luna of Hutto received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from UT Austin. He will study family medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Diego Regalado of Navasota receives his bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&M this month. He will enter Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine (TTUHSC)-Lubbock this fall.
Esdras Rodriguez of Friona graduates this month from West Texas A&M University with degrees in biochemistry and biology. He plans to go into family, internal, or emergency medicine and will enroll at TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in the fall.
Eliora Tesfaye of Arlington earns a degree in biochemistry from UT Austin this month and will attend McGovern Medical School at UT Health in Houston this fall.
Peter Ugoh of Katy receives his undergraduate degree in neuroscience from UT Austin this month. He will begin his studies at Baylor College of Medicine this fall.
Charleston West of San Antonio received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UT San Antonio. He will attend the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Alyssa Wilder of Everman graduates this month from Abilene Christian University with a bachelor’s in biology and will attend the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.