Boonshoft School of Medicine students named recipients of Choose Ohio First scholarships

Yasamine Edwards is a second-year medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Two Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine students were selected to receive a $30,000 Choose Ohio First Patient-Centered Medical Home scholarship for the 2017-2018 academic year, bringing the total number of students receiving the scholarship to four.

The new recipients of the scholarship are Yasamine Edwards, a second-year medical student from Dayton, and David Yoder, a third-year medical student from Bluffton, Ohio. They join two current recipients: Jarrod Wurm, a third-year medical student from Republic, Ohio; and Kara (Yutzy) Callahan, a fourth-year medical student from West Jefferson, Ohio.

The Choose Ohio First Primary Care Scholarship Program was created in 2010 with the passage of Ohio HB 198, Ohio’s patient-centered medical home legislation. Fifty medical students throughout Ohio can receive up to $120,000 in scholarship funding throughout their four-year medical education. Recipients are selected from Case Western Reserve University, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, University of Toledo, University of Cincinnati and Wright State University.

Scholarship recipients must be Ohio residents and show a commitment to community service. They must commit to a residency in family medicine, primary care internal medicine, primary care pediatrics or geriatrics. After completing residency, each recipient must agree to practice full time in Ohio for at least three years in primary care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics or geriatrics). As primary care physicians, they must serve Medicaid patients.

Edwards wants to practice in primary care because of the continuous relationship between a physician and the patient. She wants to become a physician who focuses on the quality of care given to each individual.

“I want to follow my patients as they make improvements in their health and lifestyles,” she said. “This will allow me to keep track of my patients’ progress and build a trustworthy and healthy patient-physician relationship.”

She is committed to staying in Ohio and returning to her hometown of Dayton to serve the people in her community.

Edwards was a dance major at the Stivers School for the Arts, a public arts magnet school in Dayton. During the summer between her junior and senior years of high school, she participated in the Horizons in Medicine program at the Boonshoft School of Medicine, which introduced her to the possibility of a career in medicine.

After graduating from high school, she attended Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, where she majored in biology. During summer break, she returned home to Dayton and volunteered as a patient escort at Good Samaritan Hospital. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she returned to Hampton University to obtain a master’s degree in medical science.

“After coming back to Ohio for medical school, I realized I missed home,” said Edwards, who will earn her M.D. from the Boonshoft School of Medicine in 2020. “I am from the west side of Dayton. I would love to work in my community to ensure that everyone receives quality health care. Becoming a primary care physician enables me to stay connected to my community and to serve others regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic background and education.”

David Yoder is a third-year medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Yoder grew up in Bluffton, a small town in northwest Ohio. He graduated from Cedarville University. From an early age, he has seen how primary care physicians are central figures in the community. The family physicians in his hometown inspired him to become a primary care physician.

“Not only do they help heal and care for people in Bluffton, but they also get to know their patients on an individual level,” said Yoder, who plans to practice in family medicine or pediatrics. “I love the relational aspects of their work and would like to get involved in a specialty where relationships come first.”

He would like to practice in a small town, whether it is Bluffton or another town in Ohio.

“My wife and I love being in Ohio,” said Yoder, who plans to graduate in 2019. “Our families live here, and we have strong ties here. We believe life is about relationships, and we are excited to continue to build relationships with our family and friends in this state.”

Yoder is passionate about helping care for the poor, the hungry, the sick and the disenfranchised.

“Ohio has so many people in need of good medical care. Primary care physicians are on the front lines,” he said. “I want to serve people who need help, not simply those who can pay me back.”