Choose Virginia Scholarships

“Choose Virginia” Scholarships for Graduating Medical Students and Family Medicine Residents

The Virginia Academy of Family Physicians (VAFP) Foundation is delighted to offer a medical student scholarship and a resident scholarship for assistance with education loan repayment. Many medical students and family medicine residents in Virginia have expressed an interest in staying in Virginia after their graduation to complete a family medicine residency or to practice in a medically underserved area. Over the past few years the VAFP Foundation has received donations to support this effort to keep our own.

Virginia Medical Student – $2,500 Scholarship

The successful candidate will meet the following criteria:
1) Graduating Virginia medical student in good academic standing
2) Entering a Virginia family medicine residency program. A letter from the program director is required.
3) Will have completed the PGY‐1 year successfully and be entering into the PGY‐2 year at that program. A letter from the program director is required in order to receive the scholarship check for loan repayment at that time.
4) Must submit a 250‐500 word letter explaining why they want to practice family medicine in Virginia as a resident and as a family physician.

Graduating PGY-3 Family Medicine Resident – $3,000 Scholarship

The requirements for this scholarship are as follows:
1) Graduating as a PGY‐3 Virginia family medicine resident
2) Have an up‐to‐date Virginia medical license
3) Practicing family medicine in an underserved medical area after graduation as designated by United States Human Resource Service Administration (HRSA) and/or Virginia Department of Health. A letter verifying this is required.
4) Must submit a 250‐500‐word letter explaining why they want to practice in an underserved area of Virginia
5) Practicing at the underserved site for one year. Documentation is necessary to receive the scholarship check for loan repayment after one year of practice in an underserved area.

Please visit this link for DESIGNATION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS (HPSA)

Application letters may be sent to Mrs. Mary Lindsay White at mlwhite@vafp.org or to Dr. Mark Watts at emarkwatts@hotmail.com. The deadline for application letters is June 30.

If anyone is interested in making tax deductible donation in support or expansion of this effort, or is interested in learning more about the VAFP Foundation, please visit our website at www.vafpf.org.

On behalf of the VAFP Foundation Board of Directors, I would like to thank those individuals and organizations who have donated to the VAFP Foundation.

E. Mark Watts, MD , FAAFP
President, VAFP Foundation