Medicine students claim two of eight statewide scholarships

Congratulations to Michaela Stamper and Sydney Bitting!

The two students from the College of Medicine have received scholarships to serve in the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) Foundation Summer Scholarship Program. Stamper, a third-year student, and Bitting, a second-year student, were selected as part of the eight-person cohort for the 2023 OSMA Summer Scholar recipients.

The OSMA Foundation’s Summer Scholars Programs provides stipends for medical students to pursue summer opportunities in research, community health, health advocacy and medical education programs.

Stamper is working alongside a fellow medical student to conduct interviews of relevant stakeholders across the Northeast Ohio community to do an in-depth analysis of the current state of minority community needs and access to care and resources. "We are currently working on getting full IRB approval and then will spend the rest of the summer conducting our interviews before we begin synthesizing what we learn into a publishable document that will be available to providers and students across the area," she says. "We hope this will be informative for health professionals already providing care in our area and to all those looking to get involved with various organizations who provide services and opportunities for these communities!"

Bitting is pursuing an internship focused on pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation. She will also be active throughout the summer working on a hematology-oncology case report through Akron Children’s Hospital and volunteering at the Akron Rotary Camp that supports children with disabilities.

The OSMA Foundation’s Summer Scholars Program allows students to seek internships, which are often unpaid, in their desired field of medicine during the summer without encountering additional financial hardships.

“Michaela and Sydney are wonderful examples of NEOMED students who are fully committed to being future leaders in the health care industry,” said Eugene Mowad, M.D., interim dean of the College of Medicine. “We are incredibly proud to see them earn this prestigious honor and how they will use the summer to further their skills as future physicians.”

Updated June 16, 2023