FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Feb. 29, 2016
Contact:  Sheanna M. Spence, Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs & Community Relations, School of Medicine, 304-691-1639

Chair of Orthopaedics establishes scholarship for Marshall medical students

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Ali Oliashirazi, M.D., founding chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and vice dean for the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, and his wife, Corrina, have generously pledged to fund a new endowed scholarship at the school. 

“I am absolutely delighted to see this selfless act of generosity and leadership from one of our most prominent physicians,” said Joseph I. Shapiro, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine. 

Oliashirazi, or “Dr. Ali,” as he is affectionately known by his patients, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in total joint replacement. He was valedictorian at George Washington University School of Medicine before completing a residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He lectures extensively nationally and internationally on hip and knee replacement surgery. Oliashirazi is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. 

He and Corrina reside in Huntington and have four children.

“Dr. Ali is a talented, well-respected orthopaedic surgeon and department head,” said Linda S. Holmes, director of development and alumni affairs for the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “He and Corrina are leading by example and we are grateful for their support.”

The scholarship, established through the school’s Adopt a Medical Student program, is known as the Oliashirazi Family Scholarship. It is designated for first-year medical students at Marshall who have overcome hardships in order to attend medical school. The scholarship is renewable for three additional years, pending normal academic progress.

"The road to medical school is difficult for everyone. For a few, though, this journey is completed against all odds. This scholarship is for those who've been able to get into medical school despite seemingly insurmountable hurdles," Oliashirazi said.

For more information on the scholarship or to make a gift to the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, please contact Linda Holmes at 304-691-1711 or go to www.musom.marshall.edu/alumni.

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Photo Caption:   Corrina (left) and Ali Oliashirazi, M.D. (second from left), announce their scholarship with Joseph Shapiro, M.D., dean, (second from right) and Linda Holmes, development director, of the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

Date Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016