Leading the Next Generation of Family Physicians
Scholarship helps medical student serve needy patients
Elizabeth Hutchinson wasn't a traditional medical student. She majored in philosophy, not pre-med, and after graduation she didn't apply directly to medical school. Instead, she spent two years volunteering in Kenya.
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| Family practice resident Elizabeth Hutchinson enjoys an outing with her son and her husband. |
That experience helped Hutchinson decide that she wanted to dedicate her work to those who didn't have access to medical care.
"Kenya opened my eyes to the worldwide scope of need, beyond our country," said Hutchinson, a recent graduate of the UW School of Medicine. "I don't think I went into medicine because of anything other than helping those most in need."
While she makes plans to return to Kenya after becoming a doctor, she is completing her residency in family medicine at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, where she will work with underserved patients in that hospital's neighborhood.
"I'm overwhelmed by the incredible need for service to that population," she said. "That group, 'the underserved,' is growing these days. It's not only the homeless who can't obtain care, but the middle class as well."
In serving those in need, Hutchinson will get assistance from the Pisacano Leadership Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of the American Board of Family Practice. In August 2003, the foundation selected her for one of its scholarships, which funds part of the cost of her fourth year of schooling and provides a stipend during the three years of her family medicine residency.
More than helping her complete her education, though, the scholarship provides Hutchinson with funding for attending conferences and educational events related to family practice medicine. Her presence at these events gives her the opportunity to have a voice in developing family practice education and policy.
"I applied for the scholarship because I wanted to get to know people around the country who considered themselves leaders in family practice," she explained. "There is a lot of room for potential in the specialty, and I'd like to have a hand in that. This gives me a chance to be in the leadership of the next generation of family practice physicians."