Summit Health Cares Gives Back
Summit Health Cares is committed to supporting the next generation of health care leaders. As part of our emphasis on giving back, we have two amazing scholarship programs that we hope will help talented students realize their goals and become our health care leaders.
Next Generation Scholarship: This program is aimed at relieving some of the financial burden for students pursuing health care careers, allowing them to focus on the ambitious paths ahead of them. In 2022, SHC awarded 38 Next Generation scholarships - including many to Summit Health employees, encouraging entry-level and junior staff to advance their careers. Scholarships are available to students with a primary residence in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon or Pennsylvania who are enrolled in an accredited college in the United States.
Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship was started by John O’Neil in memory of his wife, who was a Summit Health physician. Dr. Sherman believed that the care doctors provide should meet the needs of all members of the community. The scholarship, started in 2020, honors a female medical student of color who shares that same belief and embodies Dr. Sherman’s determination to overcome the obstacles that many newcomers face.
In this special edition of the Catalyst, we celebrate many students who were awarded 2022 scholarships and we wish them well as they embark on their medical careers.
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Spotlight on Ludhe-Naïka Gernier
Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholar – 2022
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Gernier’s stethoscope was a gift from her CityMD Managers. |
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After a devastating earthquake in Ludhe-Naika Gernier’s native Haiti a decade ago, she knew she wanted to go into health care. “A lot of people were dying and you would think it was from damage from the earthquake, but in actuality, it was from a lack of access to health care after the earthquake,” explained Gernier, one of the two 2022 recipients of the Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholarship.
Gernier, who graduated from Stony Brook University in 2020 with a major in Biology and a minor in Medical Sociology, embarked on a career in health care in the fall of 2022. She is enrolled in the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, and though she’s just begun, she has a keen interest in pediatrics and dermatology, with a focus on global and community health. She feels that “everything comes back to health care and public health.” She explained, “If you have a health issue, you have an issue with everything else.” Gernier’s passion for this field stems from her desire to see more health care access worldwide – but especially in her native Haiti. “There’s so little access to health care in Haiti – the practitioners, the medical supplies, the medicines – it’s really tough to treat simple ailments there,” she added.
Gernier was excited to receive the Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholarship. The funds will help her pay for medical school, relieving a deep financial stress for her. She explained that the scholarship provided her “an opportunity to go after my goals and do the things I know I’ve been called to do, without that financial burden putting a damper on things.”
Prior to entering medical school, Gernier worked as a medical scribe at CityMD, where her colleagues served as her biggest cheerleaders, encouraging her to apply to medical school and believing she would get in before she did! She is grateful for their support and credits a lot of her career growth to the work she did at CityMD.
And though the scholarship will be life changing for Gernier, simply having the opportunity to speak with Mr. O’Neil was incredibly encouraging. “To be part of his wife’s legacy is very inspiring,” she expressed. We couldn’t agree more.
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Spotlight on Mereena Jolly
Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholar – 2022
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For Mereena Jolly, the seed of working in health care was planted long ago in childhood. Her mother was a Respiratory Therapist and Jolly often served as her “tech guru,” setting up the seminars her mother needed to watch to renew her license, then sticking around to view them with her. “I used to see a lot of physicians talk about patient care and research and that was something that inspired me to pursue medicine,” she explained. “The physicians not only worked one-on-one with patients. They were also educators, leaders, they were involved in public health and research. They were impacting the lives of patients and communities on a broader scale." And in a few years, Jolly will join them, no doubt making a positive impact on the communities she will serve.
This summer, Jolly was one of the recipients of the Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholarship, which will help ease the financial burden of medical school. She was excited and encouraged when she received the scholarship, "because I realized there were a lot of people who had so much faith in me that they trusted me with this award out of the pool of applicants. The scholarship enables me to focus on thriving academically and worry less about the expenses associated with attending medical school. I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders once I found out that I was selected for this award. I am extremely grateful for the Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholarship.”
Jolly, who grew up between India and New York City, graduated from City College of New York in Manhattan in 2019 pre-med and with a major in Anthropology. “For me it was natural to start off as an Anthropology major because I love learning about different cultures and languages,” she said. After college, she worked as a Medical Scribe at CityMD to gain experience before embarking on a career in medicine. This fall, she began classes at The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Down the road, Jolly sees herself working in New York City with an urban, diverse, immigrant patient population. “Since I grew up in India and New York City, I became really passionate about trying to help improve immigrant health and well-being,” she expressed. We have no doubt that she will. "Dr. Sherman seemed like an amazing physician, so this is an honor," Jolly said with a smile. "In the future, I hope to emulate the qualities Dr. Sherman embodied as a physician."
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The following showcases several people who were awarded
SHC’s Next Generation Scholarship.
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Christina Caviasco
"In the current climate, we are constantly reminded of how important one's health is. I am very grateful for the opportunity to pursue my career goals of caring for others in vulnerable states of health as a future physician.”
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Aniah Coleman
“Receiving this scholarship gives me the courage to believe that I can pursue a taxing career in medicine since I know that other people are supporting me in this journey. I am excited to begin my studies and work toward my ultimate career goal of becoming a Physician Assistant.”
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Lauren Grimaldi
“Receiving this award shows me that the health care community believes in my potential and is willing to support my ambitions. I will treasure this achievement as I continue my education.”
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Emmanuel Ihionkhan
“I am incredibly honored to receive the Next Generation Scholarship, and I am grateful to the foundation for providing this opportunity for students like me. This scholarship allows me to continue to pursue my dream of making a difference in health care and using the knowledge and resources I gain from my education to reduce health inequities.”
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Imran Khawaja
"Receiving this scholarship is meaningful because it highlights that others believe in me and the work that I strive to accomplish. The journey on my way to becoming a physician has been incredible, and I am thankful to have the support of Summit Health Cares to continue."
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Jessica Lyons
“Becoming an Occupational Therapist will require many years of education, rigorous training and direct service to others. As a student-leader who has spent the past four years working hard both inside and outside of the classroom, I am not discouraged by these challenges. In fact, I have developed the fortitude and the many interpersonal skills necessary to experience success in college and beyond. That is why receiving a Next Generation Scholarship is such an honor. Because not only am I given the financial resources to pursue my goals, but I am able to make my collegiate and career dreams become my reality.”
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Thomas McGrath
“I have Summit/CityMD to thank for sparking my interest in medicine. Now, I have the same organization to thank for making it possible to further my career in medicine.”
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Andrew Reyes
"Education is the best investment you can make for yourself and the Next Generation Scholarship solidifies that. Summit Health has shown me that they are just as invested in my future and I cannot thank them enough."
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Support Summit Health Cares through our upcoming golf raffle!
All proceeds help support our mission. Thank you for your support.
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