The Wishard Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness that support healthcare initiatives benefiting residents of Marion County with special emphasis on its poor and vulnerable populations.

Press Release

Indianapolis, Ind. -- Minorities wishing to pursue a career in medicine have received a major boost in their efforts. The Wishard Foundation announces it has received a $2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to assist in efforts to increase the number of minority physicians trained in Indiana.

The Endowment awarded the grant for the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund, which helps to foster the growing number of minorities interested in pursuing medical training at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

In addition, IU Medical Group – Primary Care (IUMG-PC) has committed a $2 million challenge grant for the scholarship's endowment, providing one additional dollar for every two dollars raised. The Wishard Foundation seeks to raise a total of $4 million to maximize this challenge grant. When completed, it is estimated that the $6 million endowment will provide full tuition grants for 10 minority students in perpetuity.

"We are excited about the partnership between Lilly Endowment and the George H. Rawls Scholarship Program at the Wishard Foundation. With their support, we can keep our best minds and our brightest students right here in Indiana and continue to serve those patients that are our underserved populations," said Greg Porter, chair of the George H. Rawls Scholarship Endowment Committee.

In Indiana, less than four percent of physicians are African American and less than three percent are Hispanic. At Wishard Health Services, for example, more than 46 percent of the patients cared for are African American and at several of Wishard's community health centers, more than 30 percent of patients are Hispanic. Research consistently demonstrates patients treated by a physician of similar culture and ethnicity have better clinical outcomes and greater satisfaction.

"The IU School of Medicine is a national leader in developing a curriculum that teaches students to be sensitive to the cultural differences of patients," said D. Craig Brater, M.D., dean of the IU School of Medicine and IU vice president for life sciences. "This $2 million grant from Lilly Endowment to the Wishard Foundation to continue the Rawls Scholarship will further the school’s and the communities' goals to meet the needs of Indiana citizens. Dr. George Rawls, a fine surgeon, caring physician and commendable educator, as well as an African-American leader in the Indianapolis community, is an appropriate namesake for this scholarship."

The George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund was created to eliminate financial barriers for minority participation at the IU School of Medicine, the second largest medical student body in the country and Indiana’s only medical school. By enabling promising Hoosier minorities to attend the IU School of Medicine and encouraging them to remain in Indiana upon graduation, the Rawls Scholarship is ultimately strengthening Indiana’s economy and the quality of life of its residents.

"We are indeed very grateful to Lilly Endowment for the grant given recently to the Wishard Foundation for the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund," said Dr. George H. Rawls. "This increase in minority physicians will assure better access to medical care and a decrease in health disparities among minorities."

The Rawls Scholarship Fund provides ten full tuition scholarships each year to the IU School of Medicine’s top minority prospects from Indiana. In turn, each grant recipient accepts a one-year obligation to provide healthcare to the indigent in Indiana. Nearly all recipients are first generation graduate school students, and many are first generation college students.

The Wishard Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness that support healthcare initiatives benefiting residents of Marion County with special emphasis on its poor and vulnerable populations. The Wishard Foundation was established in 1985 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Wishard Health Services is the public hospital division of the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County and is staffed by the Indiana University School of Medicine whose physicians provide a comprehensive range of primary and specialty services.

Source: Wishard Health Services