Students from Underrepresented Communities Receive Full Medical School Scholarships
LOS ANGELES – L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan, is proud to announce its sixth group of Elevating the Safety Net medical school scholarship awardees today at a special “white coat” ceremony. Eight students from underrepresented communities will each receive a full-ride medical school scholarship worth more than $375,000, allowing them to graduate without medical school debt.
Elevating the Safety Net is a $155 million initiative, which launched in 2018 to address a growing physician shortage across the country that threatens low-income communities of color. Research shows that increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of physicians improves patient outcomes within communities of color. But the number of Black and Hispanic physicians remains low in this country.
“L.A. Care has long recognized diversity among the health care workforce will mean better outcomes for our members,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “I am proud to say, the vast majority of our L.A. Care scholars come from communities of color, and all have expressed a commitment to work in underserved communities.”
Four of the 2023 L.A. Care Elevating the Safety Net Scholars will attend the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, which is launching its own independent medical school this year, thanks in part, to a $5 million grant from L.A. Care.
"Through L.A. Care's Elevating the Safety Net initiative, we are empowering these CDU students from our new four-year MD program's inaugural cohort to pursue their passion for serving underserved communities without the burden of overwhelming debt," stated Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Dean of CDU's College of Medicine. "These scholarships provide the necessary support for our future physicians, allowing them to stay focused on their mission of promoting social justice, health equity, and access to care for all."
Berenice Elizarraraz, who majored in Anthropology at UCLA, and got a Masters in Biomedical Science at the California University of Science and Medicine, is one of the CDU scholars.
“I am endlessly grateful to have been selected as an L.A. Care Scholar in 2023,” said Elizarraraz. “L.A. Care’s earnest investment towards my future and goals will always be appreciated and will help me in my goal of providing culturally competent care to my LatinX community.”
Four of the L.A. Care Scholars will attend the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The L.A. Care Scholarship is transformative for the student recipients and also far-reaching because it positively impacts their families, their future patients, and the communities they will serve,” said Steven Dubinett, MD, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “We are honored to partner with L.A. Care and share their commitment to improving the health of the Los Angeles community.”
Victor Arechiga, who majored in Biology at Williams College, is one of the UCLA scholars.
“I could not be more excited and honored to be a part of this year's L.A. Care cohort of Elevating the Safety Net scholars,” said Arechiga. “L.A. Care’s generosity will help me follow my passion, which is to reduce health disparities within low-income communities.”
The four scholars who will attend the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science are:
- Alexander Afewerki – BS, Human Biology and Society, UCLA; MA, Applied Life Science, Keck Graduate Institute
- Lule DeShields – BS, Nutritional Science, UC Berkeley
- Berenice Elizarraraz – BS, Anthropology, UCLA; MA, Biomedical Science, California University of Science and Medicine
- Sigry Ortiz Flores – BS, Biology, UC Merced
The four scholars who will attend the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA are:
- Victor Arechiga – BS, Biology, Williams College
- Daisy Hernandez-Casas – BS, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, UCLA
- Itzel Melgoza – BS, Neuroscience, Columbia University
- Rick Rios – BS, Biological Sciences, UC Davis
Since 2018, L.A. Care’s total investment in medical school scholarships is more than $17.6 million. In addition to the scholarships, Elevating the Safety Net offers grants for clinics and practices to recruit new physicians into the safety net clinics and practices that treat these communities. It also offers medical school loan repayment for physicians who commit to working in the safety net for three years. Thanks to the Elevating the Safety Net initiative, there are 152 newly recruited physicians now working in the L.A. County safety net, and 174 physicians have been awarded loan repayment grants since 2018.