Medical education

Several $1,000 and $500 scholarships available to DO students

The deadline to apply for SOMA Foundation scholarships is Sept. 20. SOMA Foundation will award 10 total scholarships from $500 up to $3,000.

Whether you attend a private institution or a state medical school, have undergraduate loans or are debt free, are a nontraditional student or traditional one, the cost is still the same. Expensive.

To help defray the costs of medical school, the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) Foundation is offering 10 fall scholarships along with a SOMA chapter grant program. All SOMA members who are actively enrolled in a college of osteopathic medicine are eligible to apply for all opportunities offered by SOMA Foundation.

The current fall 2020 scholarship cycle is now open. The deadline for applications is Sept. 20, 2020. Winners will be announced virtually at OMED 2020.

The fall scholarships include:

  • The Ed and Melissa Loniewski Medically Underserved Scholarship: One osteopathic medical student will receive a scholarship of up to $3,000 donated by Ed and Melissa Loniewski for completing a medically underserved experience nationally or internationally in the field of primary care or another specialty or subspecialty.
  • The Dr. Robert S. Juhasz, DO, Innovative Leadership in Osteopathic Medicine Scholarship: Sponsored by AOA Past President Robert S. Juhasz, DO, this $1,000 scholarship recognizes a student who has taken steps to better the health care field with innovative and creative methods that not only benefit patients, but physicians as well.
  • The Women in Medicine Scholarship: Sponsored by the National Association of Osteopathic Foundations, this $1,000 scholarship recognizes a student who represents the growing population of female physicians.
  • The Community and Preventive Medicine Scholarship: Sponsored by the Osteopathic Founders Foundation, this $1,000 scholarship recognizes a student who has a passion for preventive medicine and working in community health.
  • The Humanism in Medicine Scholarship: Sponsored by Thieme Publishers, this $1,000 scholarship recognizes a student who exemplifies what it means to be an osteopathic physician and who shows compassion, leadership and enthusiasm for medicine.
  • SOMA New Member Scholarships: Sponsored by the Advocates of the American Osteopathic Association, these five $500 scholarships recognize osteopathic students who have registered with National SOMA during the 2020-2021 academic year and who show potential leadership skills within the field of osteopathic medicine.
  • SOMA Chapter Grant Program: SOMA Foundation is able to financially support individual SOMA chapter projects that promote the mission of SOMA and the AOA while furthering an understanding of osteopathic medicine in our communities. Awards are limited to $500 per school; there is a maximum budget of $3,000 per year. Awards are given on a first come, first served basis.

Apply for these grants and scholarships here.

History

In 1978, the SOMA Foundation was created as the philanthropic branch of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association. Its mission is to contribute to the welfare and education of osteopathic medical students by providing financial support and preparing student doctor members to meet the social, moral and ethical obligations of the osteopathic profession.

Today SOMA represents more than 15,000 osteopathic medical students and is the largest national organization dedicated to transforming motivated osteopathic medical students into dynamic health care leaders who advance patient-centered care within the U.S. and abroad.

For the past 38 years, the SOMA Foundation has provided SOMA student members with many scholarships and grants as well as opportunities to participate in outreach projects and various research initiatives.

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