Annual White Coats-4-Care Scholarship Fundraiser Will Help ‘Dress and Equip’ 14th Incoming Class of FAU Schmidt College of Medicine

14^th Annual White Coats-4-Care Scholarship Fundraiser Set for July 31, 2024.

 

Annually drawing civic and business leaders, healthcare professionals and community advocates to welcome and “dress and equip” the incoming class of medical students, Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine (CoM) will host its 14th annual White Coats-4-Care (WC4C) major scholarship fundraiser for its incoming Class of 2028 on Wednesday, July 31. The event will be held at 6:00 p.m. on FAU’s Boca Raton campus in the Owls Nest in the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence.

WC4C funds help the college attract, recruit, train and educate the next generation of humanistic clinicians and scientists – doctors who care and cure in this community. Each year, the fundraiser generates much-needed funds to provide scholarships and other resources for the incoming class of students to give them the ability to follow their hearts, not their debts, into lifelong medical careers. With the average cost of a medical education reaching $206,823 in 2023, 70.3% of the College’s talented students required financial assistance.

“Since heavy debt often impacts both a student’s choice of medical school as well as their medical specialty based on its income potential to repay loans, White Coats-4-Care’s Scholarship funds help the CoM attract, nurture and sustain an exceptional and diverse class of students who will mirror the communities they serve,” shared Co-chair Bonnie Kaye, who with Kaye Communications PR & Marketing (KCOM-PR) partner Jon Kaye has co-chaired WC4C since its inception for 14 consecutive years.

“Receiving its first national ranking in U.S. News & World Report, last year, the Schmidt College of Medicine  was one of approximately156 accredited and rated allopathic or M.D. medical schools in the U.S., and continues to expand and thrive in new disciplines and programs,” shared Co-chair Jon Kaye. “Bonnie and I are honored to once again chair the White Coats-4-Care Campaign. Since the inception of White Coats-4-Care, more than 848 incoming students have been gifted their first white coats and 467 of those have received scholarship funds due to the generous support of our community that has provided our next generation of physicians with the resources they require to be successful and compassionate healers.”

While any scholarship funding gift is welcome, this year’s WC4C options have expanded to the following: All donors and corporate sponsorships of $1,000 or more will be recognized in the lobby of the CoM  as part of the corporate and individual donor listings.    

• White Coat Sponsor: $250 to provide a medical student’s first white coat. In recognition of
  your support of their dream of becoming a doctor, your family or company name will be included
  in the pocket of the white coat; includes one ticket.
• Pre-Med Sponsor: $500 provides a medical school scholarship in memory of Founding Dean Michael L. Friedland, M.D. or Ira J. Gelb, M.D.; includes two tickets.
• Medical Student: $1,000 will provide medical student scholarships; includes two tickets.
• Intern: $2,500 supports the Dean’s Fund for Excellence; includes four tickets.
• Resident: $5,000 supports the Dean’s Fund for Excellence; includes six tickets.
• Chief Resident: $10,000 supports the expansion of the medical school; eight tickets.
• White Coat Society: $20,000 or more pledge to join to White Coat Society by supporting students through all four years of medical school; pledge paid annually in installments of $5,000 per year
• Dean’s Circle: a legacy gift of $25,000 or more to establish an endowment fund in one of the following areas: medical student scholarship, graduate student scholarship, medical school expansion, biomedical research.

Community continues to remain at the forefront of the CoM. Nearly 48% of the medical school’s graduates this year chose to remain in Florida for their residency training, playing a vital role in bridging the healthcare workforce gap in the state. WC4C offers the first step in welcoming the new matriculants into the college.

“With the growing demand for healthcare professionals in South Florida, the White Coats-4-Care fundraiser is vital in providing scholarships that allow our students to pursue their medical careers without the burden of financial constraints,” said Curtis Whitehair, M.D., Dean of the CoM. “By investing in our future doctors, we enhance our community’s healthcare and support the continued expansion and excellence of our medical programs, fostering a new generation of compassionate and skilled clinicians.”

To further FAU’s commitment to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County and to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, the FAU CoM Consortium for Graduate Medical Education (GME) was formed in fall 2011 with five leading hospitals in Palm Beach County. The Consortium currently has five accredited residency programs in internal medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, psychiatry, neurology and several fellowship programs.

Dean Whitehair reports that 100% of graduating students this year have been successfully placed in a residency program, being accepted into highly prestigious institutions across the nation, such as New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center; Massachusetts General Hospital – a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; UCLA Medical Center; Rush University Medical Center; Baylor College of Medicine; and University of Virginia, among others. Nearly 41% of CoM students have also chosen to pursue careers in primary care, which helps to address the national shortage of internists, pediatricians, and family practitioners. Students have matched into highly competitive specialties such as plastic surgery, psychiatry, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, urology, and triple board specialty (pediatrics/psychiatry/child psychiatry).

Launched in 2010, CoM became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America and has swiftly become nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. With an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, the college is dedicated to addressing healthcare disparities in the community.

WC4C Co-chairs are supported by a dedicated committee, including Patricia Anastasio, M.D. and Thomas Mersch, Esq.; Melissa Azrack; Florida State Senator Lori Berman and Jeffrey Ganeles, D.M.D.; Donna and Joe Biase, M.D.; Alisa Cohen and G. Richard Cohen, M.D.; Phyllis and Michael T.B. Dennis, M.D.; June Gelb; Emily and Stephen A. Grabelsky, M.D.; Bonnie Halperin; Arlene Herson; Jaclyn Klimczak, M.D.; Margie and Alan Kaye; Deborah Leising; Jennifer and Gary Lesser, Elizabeth and Stuart Markowitz, M.D.; Nathan E. Nachlas, M.D.; Margie and Maurice Plough, Jr.; Ronald L. Rubin, D.M.D.; Constance Scott; Robin Trompeter and Janice Williams.

To learn more about the White Coat Society, Dean’s Circle or other gift options contact Sara Greene, Assistant Director of Development at 561.297.2984 or [email protected]. For Corporate Sponsorships contact Michael Turtz at 561-297-2387 or [email protected].