HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Four new gift endowments and amendments to an existing scholarship have been announced at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine that will assist medical students with educational costs, as well as provide educational opportunities for all students. Four of the gifts are courtesy of medical school alumni. The following is a listing of the newly created endowments and the previous scholarship and its amendments.

The Hensley Family Endowment for the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine is an endowed scholarship created by the Hensley family.  Dr. W. Michael and Diane Hensley and their children who are graduates of the Marshall University School of Medicine-Laurel A. (Hensley) Fedor, Class of ’07, Alice A. (Hensley) Walz, Class of ’11, and Brian M. Hensley, Class of ’12, have chosen to support the medical school through this gift. The Hensley Family Endowment will aid and improve medical student education by providing materials for the Clinical Skills Center or by providing assistance to educational programs like the Standardized Patient Program.

The Dr. and Mrs. Mark F. Sheridan and Family Endowed Scholarship is an endowed scholarship for a medical student who will be selected by the scholarship committee of the School of Medicine.   Janet Sheridan is a graduate of the Marshall University School of Nursing and Dr. Mark Sheridan is a 1987 graduate of the School of Medicine.   Dr. Sheridan has served as a past president of the School of Medicine’s Alumni Association and is an inaugural member of the newly formed dean’s advisory board. He is an otolaryngologist in Huntington at Tri-State Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Inc.

The Touma Family Scholarship, created in 1997 and amended in 2012, will continue to support medical education in the form of scholarships.   The recipient or recipients of this scholarship will be member(s) of an underrepresented minority in medicine.  It is the intent of the scholarship fund to provide annual awards for a total amount not to exceed $20,000.   It is expected that as long as there are 10 or fewer recipients, each recipient will receive $2,000 annually.  The scholarship was created by Drs. Joseph and Omayma Touma.   Dr. Joe Touma is a Huntington otolaryngologist with the Touma Ear, Hearing and Balance Center and River Cities Ear, Nose & Throat.   In addition, he is chairman of the Marshall University Board of Governors and is an inaugural member of the dean’s advisory board.  Dr. Omayma Touma is the retired medical director of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department. 

The Drs. R. Trenor Williams and Matt W. Lambert Endowed Scholarship is made possible by the generosity of Dr. R. Trenor Williams and Dr. Matt W. Lambert, both members of the MUSOM Class of 1997. Following their residencies, Dr. Williams co-founded Clinovations Health Care Solutions, a health care consulting company, and Dr. Lambert joined his former classmate as a consultant. The scholarship will be awarded to an entering medical student from West Virginia or Virginia and includes a summer internship and stipend with the company. 

The fifth scholarship for medical education was created by a Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine retired faculty member and his family, who wish to remain anonymous.   This award will be given to an entering medical student from West Virginia with second priority given to a student from a bordering state. The award is renewable for three additional years pending normal academic progress. 

Linda Holmes, director of development and alumni affairs for the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, said continued creation of scholarships at the medical school is essential to assist students in their education and career choice.

“Our medical school’s core mission is dedicated to educating students who will become primary care doctors and serve our nation’s rural populations,” she said.  “By helping reduce student debt, we allow students freedom to choose specialties based on interest and not on how they are compensated.” 

For more information on the scholarships or to make a gift to the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, please contact Holmes at 304-691-1711 or holmes@marshall.edu.

Date Posted: Tuesday, January 8, 2013