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(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) — Part-time Kailua residents Elizabeth and Dr. Richard Grossman, are funding the tuition for a full-time medical student, from start to finish, through their newly established Elizabeth and Richard Grossman Scholarship at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). This four-year scholarship, established with their $120,000 pledge, will support a Hawaiʻi resident who intends to practice medicine in Hawaiʻi upon completion of their medical training.

"Four-year scholarships play a key role in helping JABSOM attract and retain the most promising future physicians for Hawaiʻi," said Jerris R. Hedges, Dean and Professor of Medicine, Barry and Virginia Weinman Endowed Chair. "Given the heavy debt load, typically $75,000, which is carried by our medical students, some of our new graduates choose to leave Hawaiʻi to start their careers in states with a lower cost of living or higher physician reimbursement rates," he continued. "Given the physician shortage we face, we are very grateful for this scholarship that effectively gives Hawaiʻi another physician."

Dr. A. Richard Grossman is an internationally recognized plastic surgeon and the Founder of the Grossman Burn Centers. He created a world-class, comprehensive burn treatment facility, dedicated to providing the best burn care available.

His goals are two-fold: ensuring survival and restoring patients to as close to their pre-injury condition as possible. Elizabeth Rice Grossman retired as a Managing Director with Soros Fund Management Company in New York. She is active in her adopted Hawaiian community and serves on the Board of Trustees for The Contemporary Museum of Hawaiʻi. She spent many summers and Christmas vacations visiting her grandmother on Maui. Three years ago, the Grossmans moved to Hawaiʻi part-time. They created this scholarship to invest in the future of Hawaiʻi.

"We hope our gift will encourage others to provide scholarship opportunities at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, and we are proud to support the important efforts of the medical school in addressing the physician shortage in our state," noted Elizabeth Grossman.

For more information about supporting the John A. Burns School of Medicine, please contact Jeffrie Jones at the UH Foundation at (808) 692-0873 or email [email protected]. Contributions to JABSOM can be made at www.uhf.hawaii.edu/GiveToJABSOM.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. Our mission is to unite our donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaiʻi and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhfoundation.org.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students matriculate in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. manoa.hawaii.edu

The John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), UH Mānoa, named for a visionary governor, was established in 1965 and has trained more than 4,500 medical doctors through its MD or residency program. Half of Hawai‘i's practicing physicians are faculty members or graduates of JABSOM or the Hawaiʻi Residency Programs. JABSOM also trains Public Health professionals. More than 3,500 MPH, MS, DrPH and PhD degrees have been awarded from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In 2010, JABSOM's programs in Geriatric and Rural Medicine ranked in the United State's Top 25 medical programs, according to US News & World Report. jabsom.hawaii.edu