Pritzker News
Pritzker Medical Student Named AMA Foundation Minority Scholar
Comfort Ibe
Comfort Ibe, a third year student at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, was recently named a 2006 Minority Scholars Award recipient by the AMA Foundation. As one of only 10 medical student recipients in the country, she will receive a $10,000 scholarship in recognition of her excellence as a medical student and outstanding promise for a future career in medicine.
From St. Louis, Missouri, Ibe just completed her second year at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She is a graduate of University of Missouri and has received many academic honors. She is the co-coordinator for HIV Intervention and Prevention, a national organization that educates secondary school children about HIV/AIDS and how to prevent its spread. She recently organized a series of health education lectures at a work release program and participated in a mentoring program for high school students. Ibe is the community service chair for the Student National Medical Association chapter at the University of Chicago.
The Minority Scholars Award recognizes scholastic achievement and promise for the future among students in groups defined as “historically underrepresented” in the medical profession. Less than seven percent of U.S. physicians fall within these groups, which include African American/Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino.
“We are pleased to recognize the outstanding achievements of Comfort Ibe, and to provide her with substantial financial assistance for medical school,” said Peter Carmel, M.D., AMA Foundation President. “The AMA Foundation is committed to introducing more minorities into the medical profession in order to better reflect the needs of our diverse society. We must ensure the cost of medical education remains within reach of our most talented students.”
The AMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Medical Association, has made a priority of helping medical students handle the rising cost of their education. Since its founding in 1950, the AMA Foundation has contributed more than $90 million in educational, research and public health grants. The Minority Scholars Awards are given in collaboration with the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium, with support from the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative.
