The Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Quinnipiac University. Photo by Mark Stanczak.
Students at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University who are training to become primary care physicians will soon have another opportunity to secure a full-tuition scholarship.
The Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation Inc. in West Hartford has awarded the medical school $500,000 to create the Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Primary Care Fellowship, which will provide scholarships to qualified students who seek careers as primary care physicians. Quinnipiac is matching the award to create a $1 million endowed scholarship.
“This generous gift is critically important to the School of Medicine,” said Dr. Bruce Koeppen, dean of the School of Medicine. “It facilitates our efforts to support students who have a passion for and commitment to the practice of primary care.”
This is not the first time the foundation has given its support to the School of Medicine. In 2014, the foundation awarded the medical school $250,000 to create the Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation Primary Care Fellowship, which provided a full, four-year financial commitment to an outstanding student in the medical school’s Class of 2019 who is committed to pursuing a career in primary care medicine.
Foundation support is critical to the medical school which opened in 2013 with a mission of training primary care physicians to help combat the physician shortage facing the United States. The shortage is expected to become more acute as demand for health care accelerates because of a growing, diversifying, and aging population, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. In primary care, there will be a shortage of between 14,900 and 35,600 physicians by 2025.
Like the rest of the nation there is growing concern in Connecticut over a shortage of primary care doctors. Primary care is the front line of medicine because it focuses on the care of the whole person and serves essential roles that support the health and well-being of individuals and populations, yet only a small minority of medical graduates are entering this field. In May, Quinnipiac graduated its first medical school class of 58 students, with nearly half beginning residency programs that lead to careers in primary care medicine.