The Thurgood Marshall College Fund awarded seven students pursuing healthcare careers $100,000 in scholarships, announced Wednesday, July 25.
TMCF partnered with the United Health Foundation’s Diverse Scholars Initiative to improve a health care system in need of more diverse health care professionals. The scholarships will help the seven recipients from six different HBCUs achieve their educational goals and will allow them to “focus on their studies and not how they are going to pay their tuition.”
“I am very excited about this partnership with the United Health Foundation and the impact these scholarships will have on our African-American community,” said TMCF President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support these exceptional students.”
The TMCF scholarship recipients are: Bowie State University, Howard University, Texas Southern University, North Carolina A&T State University, Alcorn State University and North Carolina Central University.
Even with the changing demographics in the United States, minority health professionals are disproportionately low when compared to the overall population, according to the American Medical Association and Association of American Medical Colleges.
Only 6 percent of physicians and 5 percent of registered nurses are African-American.
“African-Americans need a higher representation in the healthcare industry and this type of financial assistance will motivate and inspire more African-American students to enter the healthcare profession,” said Taylor.
About Thurgood Marshall College Fund:
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund is named for the U.S. Supreme Court’s first African-American Justice. Established in 1987, TMCF supports and represents nearly 300,000 students attending its 47 member-schools that include public Historically Black Colleges and Universities, medical schools and law schools.
