Congratulations to first-year Physician Associate student Joann Hegbe on being named a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholar!
The NHSC scholarship application process is highly competitive. Only around 10% of the more than 1,800 applicants from hundreds of schools from across the country are selected for the award. Applicants must have an excellent academic record, but the most significant qualification is a commitment to primary care and to delivering it in underserved communities.
Hegbe’s experiences working in Obstetrics during college left an indelible mark on her and solidified her decision to pursue a career in women’s health. “Here I realized that there was a health literacy deficit for many women, which is often rooted in the fact that women are not empowered to advocate for themselves or comfortable asking questions about their bodies. I want to work in women’s health to provide compassionate and equitable care, build lifelong connections, and advocate for patients whose voices are not always heard.”
Hegbe served as the chair of the Multicultural & Diversity Committee at her undergraduate program at Montgomery College and has a BS in Public Health from University of Maryland.
The federally-funded NHSC Scholarship Program provides direct support to health professions students for tuition and fees, other educational costs, and monthly living expenses. For each year of financial support (up to four years), NHSC scholars commit to serve one year (minimum two years) at a qualifying practice in a high-need urban, rural, or frontier community across the nation.