13th Britt dinner
raises $135,000 for scholarships
November 3, 2008
People from across the region who share a common goal —
to improve health care for all — came together October 23 for the 13th
annual L.D. Britt, M.D., Scholarship Dinner.
More than 400 individuals and representatives from dozens of businesses
celebrated the successes of the scholarship program that aims to aid
outstanding minority medical students who attend Eastern Virginia
Medical School. The dinner raised $135,000 for the endowed scholarship
fund. Jessica Ashley Rivers, a first-year EVMS medical student, was introduced
as the 2008 Britt Scholar. She joined other current Britt Scholars at
the dinner: Theresa Cruthird-Rudd, Kira Howell and Danea Campbell.
The audience also had the opportunity to meet Maurice Young, M.D. An
obstetrician, Dr. Young is the first participant in the loan-forgiveness
project funded by the Obici Healthcare Foundation under the auspices of the
Britt Scholarship. Dr. Young receives up to $120,000 to help pay off his
student loans in return for his commitment to continue to practice
medicine in the Obici service area and see all patients regardless of
their ability to pay.
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| Britt
Community Service Award Recipients:
Mattie L. Stovall
Bishop L.E. Willis
Optima Family Care Community Girls Basketball Program |
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Keynote speaker Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D., M.B.A., president of Brigham and
Women's/Faulkner Hospitals in Boston, applauded the successes of the
Britt Scholarship program and emphasized the need to find effective ways
to address critical minority health issues.
For instance, Dr. Gottlieb said that children born to black mothers in
the Boston area are twice as likely to die as those born to white
mothers. Dr. Gottlieb has led a community-wide effort in Boston to
identify risk factors — such as low-birth-weight infants and chronic
stress for minority mothers — and develop interventions to help
eliminate those risks and improve outcomes.
EVMS President Harry T. Lester applauded the business community's
support for the scholarship fund. He singled out SunTrust, premier
corporate sponsor for the L.D. Britt Scholarship Partners in Excellence
Program, and other top-level sponsors Mr. and Mrs. William Baines; L.D.
Britt, M.D., M.P.H., and Charlene M. Britt, M.D.; Dominion Resources;
Drs. Robert E. Kelly Jr. and Cynthia S. Kelly; Sentara Healthcare; TowneBank;
and Universal Sisters-Norfolk (The Historic First Baptist Church
& Women's Health Conference of Virginia).
The dinner also served as the occasion for the presentation of the L.D. Britt
Community Service Award. Recipients were Mattie L. Stovall, a community
volunteer and children's minister; Bishop L.E. Willis, founder of Garden
of Prayer Worship Center and Willis Broadcasting Co.; and the Optima
Family Care Community Girls Basketball Program, which began 11 years ago
as a way to combine lessons in life skills, teamwork and family support.
As always, the evening was sponsored by the L.D. Britt, M.D., Scholarship
Committee. Committee Chairman William E. Russell, Ed.D., and other
grateful patients established the scholarship to honor L.D. Britt, M.D.,
M.P.H., professor and chairman of surgery at EVMS. |
