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Several MCV Campus scholarship donors and their recipients celebrated the powerful impact of endowed scholarships at the Jefferson Hotel on March 27. Photos: Chris Ijams

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An Afternoon of Generosity and Gratitude

scholarship brunch
Paula Song, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Health Administration at the VCU College of Health Professions; Clay Coleman; Deborah Porter; and (Front, L to R) Bob Canfield, MCV Foundation trustee; Louise Canfield; Sydney Belt; and Clifton Porter share a table at the MCV Campus Endowed Scholarship Brunch.

The Jefferson Hotel’s Grand Ballroom was filled with friendly chatter March 26 for the annual MCV Campus Endowed Scholarship Brunch, the foundation’s annual event to celebrate the impact of student scholarships through connecting students and endowed scholarship donors in fellowship.

“We look forward to hosting this event each year,” said Margaret Ann Bollmeier, president and CEO of the MCV Foundation. “It is one of the most important ways we celebrate the generosity of scholarship donors and the impact of their investment in supporting the education of future health care professionals.”

dr. gerzsten
Michelle Whitehurst-Cook, M.D., associate dean of admissions at the VCU School of Medicine shared a table with Enrique Gerszten, M.D., and his wife Ellen Gerszten. To honor the beloved teacher and mentor, an anonymous donor established the Enrique Gerszten, M.D., Scholarship in 2021.

More than 520 endowed scholarships support health sciences students on the MCV Campus, and donors have created 13 new scholarships since last March. In total, just over $3.1 million in support was available for students in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Special guests at this year’s brunch included Omar Abubaker, D.M.D., Ph.D., the S. Elmer Bear Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the VCU School of Dentistry and VCU Medical Center. In 2021, Dr. Abubaker created a scholarship in honor of his late son, Adam, whose tragic death from an opioid overdose spurred Dr. Abubaker to lead efforts to teach safe prescribing practices and increase awareness of addiction training and research.

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Michael Rao, Ph.D., president of Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System; Karen Melcho, recipient of the Blair Craig Memorial Scholarship; and Omar Abubaker, D.M.D., Ph.D., the S. Elmer Bear Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the VCU School of Dentistry and VCU Medical Center, shared remarks with more than 250 attendees at the MCV Campus Endowed Scholarship Brunch in March.

“Creating this scholarship is one of the most important things I have done,” Dr. Abubaker said. “I hope this will be an enduring way to honor Adam’s memory by ensuring that students enter their profession understanding the role they must play in helping address the challenges of opioid addiction.”

Guests also heard from Karen Melcho, a graduate student in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at the VCU College of Health Professions. Melcho received the Marcia J. Lawton Quality of Life Scholarship and is the third recipient of the Blair Craig Memorial Scholarship, which was established by Mary Bradshaw in 2016 to honor her late son who was a rehabilitation counselor. Melcho shared about her prior struggle with addiction before an overdose forced her into recovery. She came back to Richmond and began working with incarcerated individuals struggling with addiction.

“It’s funny how our trials can propel us to our calling,” Melcho said. “To think that I’m going to carry on a legacy like Blair Craig’s gets me a little teary-eyed. I’m so grateful for all the generosity from those who have supported students like myself on the MCV Campus to allow us to contribute to the mission of VCU Health and build upon legacies.”

scholarship brunch
Deepak Thomas, M.D.; Mareen Thomas; M.D.; Ogechi Nkem Gbujie; Corey Williams; and (Front, L to R) Thomas Rayner; Gwynn Litchfield were among the scholarship donors and recipients who gathered at the historic Jefferson Hotel.

If you are interested in supporting an existing student scholarship or starting a new fund, please contact Brian Thomas, the foundation’s vice president and chief development officer, at 804-828-0067 or brian.thomas@vcuhealth.org.

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