Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Physician Assistant (PA) Program requests funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Program to provide scholarships for PA students from disadvantaged backgrounds with financial need. UMES is a public 1890 land-grant Historically Black University (HBCU) located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, a region federally designated as both a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and a Medically Underserved Area/Population (MUA/P). The UMES PA Program serves students who face significant economic and geographic barriers to PA education, with 32% from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, 66% from HPSAs, and 45% from MUA/Ps, 93% of whom receive financial aid. Additionally, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience academic challenges, including higher rates of remediation, deceleration, withdrawal, and dismissal. Together, these financial and academic barriers limit access to PA education, hinder successful program completion, and ultimately reduce the number of PAs available to provide care in rural and medically vulnerable communities. The HRSA SDS Program aligns with the UMES PA Program mission to support students from diverse backgrounds and empower them to deliver compassionate, competent care to vulnerable and diverse communities. The UMES PA SDS Program will recruit, retain, and graduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds by increasing access to PA education, reducing financial barriers, and providing academic support services. These efforts will strengthen the pipeline of PAs prepared to practice in Maryland, particularly in primary care and on the Eastern Shore. The objectives of the program are: 1. Recruit, retain, and graduate PA students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 2. Increase the number of UMES PA graduates practicing in primary care. 3. Increase the number of UMES PA graduates practicing on the Eastern Shore and in other rural or medically vulnerable communities. Recruitment efforts will include outreach to K–12 schools and undergraduate institutions in disadvantaged communities through information sessions, college fairs, and community engagement activities. The Admissions Committee will continue to give preference to disadvantaged students, including students from HPSAs and MUA/Ps, graduates of HBCUs, and first-generation college students. The Committee will begin providing preferences to applicants with demonstrated severe financial hardship. Scholarship opportunities will be promoted through the program website, orientation, information sessions, social media, and university communications. The UMES PA SDS Program will award 10 scholarships annually to full-time eligible students from disadvantaged backgrounds with financial need through a fair and equitable selection process based on financial need, disadvantaged status, commitment to practicing in primary care or medically vulnerable communities, and good academic standing. Scholarship recipients will receive $20,000 in disbursements at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters of the first and second academic years, totaling $80,000 over the course of the program. Scholarship recipients will receive ongoing academic monitoring and support services throughout the program and complete clinical rotations with the program's extensive network of clinical partners, including those on the Eastern Shore and in primary care. SDS funding will reduce financial barriers to PA education, improve student retention and graduation, and strengthen the pipeline of PAs prepared to serve Maryland, particularly on the Eastern Shore and in primary care. The Program is eligible for the following priorities: 1. Proportion of graduates going into Primary Care 2. Proportion of graduates working in rural, Tribal, and other MUCs 3. Proportion of graduates who are underrepresented minority students, and 4. HPSA.
