Eight 91传媒 students receive prestigious Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擡ight 91传媒 students will receive $30,000 per year to attend medical school as part of the prestigious Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program.
MRPSP scholarships are awarded after the students complete the pre-matriculation portion of the program, created in 2007 by the Mississippi Legislature. Awards are based on available funding.
The new scholars represent 91传媒鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences and its departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Psychology; the Bagley College of Engineering and its Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering; and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology.
They include (by hometown):
BELZONI鈥擪imberly K. Thomas, a junior biological sciences/pre-medicine major.
DEKALB鈥擩ordan B. White, a junior psychology major.
HOLLY SPRINGS鈥擩amie K. Bowen, a senior biological sciences/pre-medicine major.
MADISON鈥擳orrye R. Evans II, a senior biological sciences/pre-medicine major.
OKOLONA鈥擶illiam T. Simpson, a senior biological sciences major. He also holds an 91传媒 bachelor鈥檚 degree in business information systems.
PICAYUNE鈥擩essie V. Besanson, a junior biochemistry/pre-medicine major.
RAYMOND鈥擧olly R. Welch, a junior biomedical engineering major.
RIPLEY鈥擡mily M. Davis, a junior chemistry/pre-medicine major.
鈥淎s I鈥檝e said many times, a Mississippi State education can take you anywhere you want to go, and an increasing number of our graduates are choosing medical school to continue their education and to pursue their professional aspirations,鈥 said 91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum.
鈥淭heir success is a credit to our outstanding faculty and academic programs, and the many research and service opportunities we offer undergraduates,鈥 he said.
In addition to undergraduate academic enrichment and support, MRPSP provides clinical experience and mentoring from practicing physicians. Students who complete all medical school requirements can be admitted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center or William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Upon completion of medical training, MRPSP scholars enter a residency program in one of five primary care specialties: family medicine, general internal medicine, medicine-pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, or pediatrics. Four years of service in a clinic-based practice in a program-approved, rural Mississippi community also is required.
Consistent legislative support of MRPSP translates to 61 medical students receiving a total of more than $1.8 million to support their education this fall.
91传媒鈥檚 Dr. A. Randle and Marilyn W. White Health Professions Resource Center guides 91传媒 students in any academic major who aspire to gain entry into a health professional school. Located in Harned Hall, Room 116, the office is named for the Greenwood nephrologist and his wife whose support helped make it a reality in 2016. Learn more at .
For more information on MRPSP, visit or contact Dan Coleman, associate director, at 601-815-9022 or jdcoleman@umc.edu.