Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, Alliance Award $10,000 Scholarship to UCSC Graduate

Santa Cruz, Calif. — Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center (SMSC) and the Central Coast Alliance for Health (the Alliance) have named Brittany Guest, a June 2009 Health Sciences graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), as the recipient of the 3rd annual Primary Care Physician Award.

“With a critical shortage of primary care physicians in our area, we feel it is important to encourage undergraduates with plans for medical school to pursue primary care, especially for the underserved in our community,” said Ric Nichols, administrator of SMSC.

“I’ve decided to take a year off from school to travel, but then plan to apply to medical school in the fall,” said Brittany Guest, PCP Award recipient, “I’m interested in a studying women’s health and definitely plan to return to the Central Coast to practice.”

The award was established in conjunction with the University of California, Santa Cruz Foundation in 2007 by SMSC and the Alliance to help carry out the Alliance’s mission to provide high quality primary care to Central Coast Medi-Cal patients .

The award supports a graduating senior with a major in Health Sciences at UCSC who will be entering an accredited medical school soon after successfully completing his or her bachelor’s degree. The recipient’s medical training must result in an M.D. or D.O. degree and the recipient must intend to return to the Central Coast of California to practice in the area of primary care. The funds are intended to help meet the student’s requirements for fees and tuition.

“Brittany is an excellent choice for the award,” said Alan McKay, executive director of the Alliance. “She has been working locally as an intern and speaks Spanish. We wish her luck and look forward to seeing her back here as a doctor.”

Candidates are recommended by UCSC’s Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology to a committee comprised of representatives from SMSC, the Alliance, and the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency. There is no implied obligation or requirement that the award recipient shall be on staff at any particular organization in the area, but they will be expected to serve Medi-Cal patients.

For more information, contact:

Mark Riley
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
831-460-6034
rileym@pamf.org