The College of Community Health Sciences offers scholarships for medical students and residents, made possible by the generosity of our donors.
Frank Fitts Jr. Endowed Scholarship
The Frank Fitts, Jr., Endowed Scholarship is awarded annually to medical students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus (UA College of Community Health Sciences). The scholarship was created by Cynthia Ford (Fitts) Thomas to address the needs of medical students who bear a high debt load upon graduation from medical school. The scholarship is named in honor of her late husband, Frank Fitts, Jr., great-grandson of J.H. Fitts, who established The University of Alabama’s first endowed scholarship in 1903.
Eligibility
UAB Heersink School of Medicine students who are completing their third and fourth years of clinical education at the UA College of Community Health Sciences are eligible for this scholarship. Priority will be given to fourth year students and to applicants whose career goals align most closely with the College’s mission of primary care.
| Amount | $5,000 annually |
Robert E. Pieroni, MD, and Family Endowed Scholarship
The Robert E. Pieroni, MD, and Family Endowed Scholarship was established by Dr. Robert and Mrs. Dorothy Pieroni in 2012 to support medical students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus (College of Community Health Sciences) who are interested in entering primary care. This award takes both merit and financial need into consideration. Dr. Pieroni was a faculty member at the College for many years, and he still remains active in his support of the College.
Eligibility
UAB Heersink School of Medicine students who are completing their fourth year of clinical education at the UA College of Community Health Sciences are eligible for this scholarship. Priority is given to those whose training and career goals align most closely with the College’s mission of primary care.
| Amount | $1,000 annually |
Larry Mayes Endowed Scholarship
The Larry Mayes Endowed Scholarship is awarded annually to medical students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus (UA College of Community Health Sciences) who elect into a service-oriented community medicine experience in a medically underserved setting in the United States or abroad during their third or fourth year of medical school. This scholarship is not for conference attendance or away rotations.
Larry Mayes was an outstanding member of the Class of 1986 of the University of Alabama School of Medicine (Now the UAB Heersink School of Medicine) who died while on an elective rotation in Africa during his senior year. Larry’s family and friends created a scholarship fund in his memory to promote a broader understanding of international health care and of the health needs in underserved areas of the United States.
Eligibility
Rising third- or fourth-year medical students at the Heersink School of Medicine are eligible for this scholarship. Priority is given to applicants from the Tuscaloosa Regional Campus and to applicants whose training and career goals align most closely with the College’s mission of primary care.
Note: All international travel must be approved by the Heersink School of Medicine and The University of Alabama. Medical students who plan to travel internationally should contact Mike Belue in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education for approval and complete an international travel approval form for UA/CCHS approval before their travel occurs. Please contact CCHS Medical Student Affairs with questions about the travel authorization.
| Amount | $1,000 to $2,000 annually (given as travel reimbursement) |
International Medical Experience Fund
The purpose of this fund is to support international travel that facilitates the education of medical students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus (UA College of Community Health Sciences). The fund was established in 2011 by the College’s Board of Visitors through the Lister Hill Society Fund.
Eligibility
Third- and fourth-year UAB Heersink School of Medicine students at the College of Community Health Sciences are eligible to receive support from this fund for its stated purposed. Faculty and residents involved with student travel may also apply as additional funds may be available.
The College’s Scholarship Committee reviews applications in October each year and the distribution of funds is awarded based on a majority vote. Total spending from the fund will be capped at $4,000 a year. Preferential consideration will be given to applicants whose intended travel and/or future professional goals most closely align with the College’s mission of primary care, and to applicants who have not previously received money for training-related international travel.
Note: All international travel must be approved by the Heersink School of Medicine and The University of Alabama. Medical students who plan to travel internationally should contact Mike Belue in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education for approval and complete this form for UA/CCHS approval before their travel occurs. Please contact CCHS Medical Student Affairs with questions about the travel authorization.
| Amount | $1,000 to $2,000 annually (given as travel reimbursemenent). Total spending from this fund will be capped at $4,000 a year. Requests for funding of $2,000 or less are most likely to be funded. Money will be awarded as a reimbursement for actual travel costs. |
Dr. Benjamin Collins Maxwell Endowed Scholarship
The Dr. Benjamin Collins Maxwell Endowed Scholarship was established by Dr. David H. and Mrs. Regina A. Maxwell in 2015 to support medical students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus (UA College of Community Community Health Sciences) who plan to practice rural primary care in Alabama.
Eligibility
UAB Heersink School of Medicine students who are completing their fourth year of clinical education at the College of Community Health Sciences are eligible for this scholarship. Priority is given to Rural Medical Scholars or students who intend to practice rural primary care in Alabama. Additional priority is given to students from Escambia County, Alabama, where Dr. Benjamin Collins Maxwell practiced and taught for many years.
| Amount | $1,000 Annually |
Reese Phifer, Jr., Memorial Foundation Scholarship in CCHS
The Reese Phifer Jr. Memorial Foundation Endowed Scholarship is awarded annually to promote the education of medical students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus (UA College of Community Health Sciences).
The Reese Phifer, Jr., Memorial Foundation was established by Mr. and Mrs. Reese Phifer in 1967 in memory of their son J. Reese Phifer, Jr., a student at The University of Alabama who died in 1964. The foundation established the scholarship fund in 2014.
Priority is given to current fourth-year students who intend to complete their residency at The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which the College operates, and who have an interest in spending part of their residency training in Fayette, Alabama.
Eligibility
Fourth-year medical students at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus are eligible for this scholarship.
| Amount | $1,500 Annually |
Jovita M. Taylor Endowed Scholarship
The Jovita M. Taylor Endowed Scholarship is awarded annually to a medical student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus (UA College of Community Health Sciences). The scholarship was created by Drs. Michael Taylor and Heather Taylor to honor Mrs. Jovita Taylor and to promote the education of medical students at the College.
Eligibility
UAB Heersink School of Medicine students who are completing their third and fourth years of clinical education at the College of Community Health Sciences are eligible for this scholarship. Priority consideration is given to a third-year medical student at the College who plans to specialize in Pediatrics. If no applicants meet the priorities for consideration, the award can be made to a fourth-year medical student who plans to go into Pediatrics.
| Amount | $1,125 Annually |