Medical Student Finds Strength in Scholarships, Influential Women

For most of her life, Trevan Rankin drew her inspiration from the strong women who surrounded her.

First, she looked to her mother — a single parent who worked overtime to ensure that Rankin and her sister always had the necessities.

“She has been my true example in all aspects of my life because her determination keeps me motivated,” Rankin said.

Then her grandmother led her to the medical field. In high school, Rankin’s grandmother fell ill, separately, to diabetes and spinal meningitis.

“We were unsure of her fate, and being that my grandmother is the strongest person I know, seeing her in such a weak condition really refined my decision to go into health care,” Rankin said.

While she pursued an undergraduate biology degree at Davidson College in Charlotte, N.C., her grandmother continued to battle health problems and ultimately passed away. Her struggles only reinforced Rankin’s decision to become a doctor.

“If I could make my way through undergrad and medical school, I would then be able to help her condition and the conditions of other patients,” she said. “Because of the strength she showed throughout her life, it gives me hope that I can remain strong throughout the challenging times in medical school.”

Rankin will graduate from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in 2012 — thanks, in part, to the aid of yet another influential female figure.

In spring 2009, the school awarded Rankin a scholarship honoring Jean M. Harris, M.D., the first African-American woman to graduate from the Medical College of Virginia and the school’s first African-American faculty member.

“Growing up, there were not many African-American physicians to look up to,” Rankin said. “Dr. Harris truly made history when she decided to go against the norm and pursue a career in medicine. It let the world know that it’s not the color of your skin that defines how you can influence the world, but the drive that is inside you.”

Rankin also received the Pollak/Brout Scholarship, established by VCU School of Medicine alumnus Stephen M. Pollak, M.D., and his wife Thora Brout Pollak, an alumna of the VCU School of the Arts. To qualify for the scholarship, a student must exhibit financial need, academic merit and a demonstrated commitment to becoming a patient-centered physician.

“Becoming a patient-centered physician is definitely my goal and one of the main reasons why I feel right at home here,” Rankin said.

She also hopes to assist the needs of aspiring young doctors one day and give back the way others so generously gave to her.

“Without their help, my position in medical school would have been merely a dream I could only hope for,” she said. “I am grateful that my dream is now a reality.”