By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle

A South Okanagan couple has undertaken a significant act of philanthropy by donating $1 million to establish a new bursary endowment fund to support aspiring medical students.

Through this donation to the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen (CFSOS), the Trish and Phil Medical Bursary Fund will provide multi-year awards to local students, significantly easing their financial burdens throughout their undergraduate studies and medical school. By receiving this support, students can focus on their studies without the burden of tuition costs, the Foundation noted.

This multi-year bursary significantly reduces the financial barriers to becoming a doctor by offering:

  • Undergraduate Studies: Covers up to 50 per cent of tuition
  • Medical School: Covers up to 100 per cent of tuition
  • Renewable for up to eight years

“We are deeply grateful for this incredible generosity and also the donors’ vision for this gift,” said Aaron McRann, CEO of the CFSOS.

Describing it as “transformative,” McRann noted the bursary is not just financial aid, “it’s an inspiring investment in the future of healthcare in our community. By supporting the next generation of doctors, we are fostering a brighter, healthier future for everyone in the South Okanagan Similkameen (SOS).”

The Foundation noted that physician shortages continue to challenge healthcare in communities across the province – experienced on a regular basis at the South Okanagan General Hospital in recent years – affecting wait times, emergency care, and access to family doctors.

According to the Community Foundation’s latest “Vital Signs” report issued in 2023, approximately 9,000 residents are currently seeking a family doctor in the SOS. This bursary was created to address the urgent need for more doctors in our region, it noted.

The bursary is open to graduating students or students who have graduated in the past five years from secondary schools in Penticton, Oliver, and Osoyoos, who are committed to pursuing medical school to become a physician and to practice medicine in the SOS region once they’ve completed their studies.

Selected students will also receive mentorship from local doctors throughout their academic journey to medicine.

A virtual information session for interested students will take place on June 10 where they’ll hear first-hand from a local physician about their journey into medicine – what it took, what they learned, and what they wish they’d known – as well as details about the bursary.

Students must register to apply for the bursary.

For students who ever dreamed of becoming a doctor and serving their home community, this bursary offers life-changing financial support to help make that dream a reality, the CFSOS said.

“As someone who grew up in Penticton and now has the privilege of practicing family medicine in my hometown, this bursary means so much,” said Dr. Jennifer Begin, Board Chair of the South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice.

“I knew back when I was at Pen Hi that I wanted to become a doctor, but coming from a family with limited resources made that path challenging. I know how hard that road can be, which is why I think this bursary is so amazing. It will open doors for local students and send a powerful message to physicians the Division is recruiting – this is a community that truly supports its healthcare providers.”