First-year M.D./Ph.D., students Robert Cameron and Daniel Herr were this year's recipients of UMA's Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) scholarships.

Daniel Herr

This $23,000 scholarship, which is funded by UMA/MUSC physicians, is awarded to incoming MSTP students for a period of one year. Perry V. Halushka, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Graduate Studies, said this is the seventh year UMA has awarded the scholarships, and he's proud that the fruits of that support can be seen as students who have received funding start to graduate. Loretta Hoover received the award in 2003 and graduated this past May with numerous awards. Another student, Ryan Rhome, will be graduating in 2012. According to Halushka, Rhome has had an exemplary time at MUSC.

Robert Cameron

"The UMA has been extraordinarily generous in supporting the Medical Scientist Training Program," he said. "Since 2003, the UMA has supported 13 MSTP students. Their support is a testimony to the UMA physicians' commitment to the training of future academic physician-scientists. It is also unusual to find this level of support for MSTPs by university physicians' practice plans. This commitment of support was acknowledged as a significant strength of our program by the external reviewers."

Halushka said he has no doubt the two new recipients will carry on the tradition. "Daniel and Robert are two more exemplars of the high quality of the students in the MSTP and those who are supported by UMA."