Christy Nwankwo, a sixth year medical student at the UMKC School of Medicine, has received a 2022 American Medical Association Foundation Underrepresented in Medicine Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship.
Nwankwo has been active at the School of Medicine in community involvement and advocacy. She has served in leadership roles with the Student National Medical Association as well as serving as clinic manager for the school’s Sojourner Health Clinic and the Kansas City Free Eye Clinic.
She has also taken on mentorship roles that include founding an organization to encourage high school students to consider a career in medicine. Nwankwo is active in research that explores dermatologic concerns for persons of color.
The AMA Foundation award is given to African American, Latinx/Hispanic, or Native American/Native Hawaiian/Alaska Native students who have demonstrated a dedication to serving vulnerable or underserved populations.
The Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship program provides tuition assistance to medical students in their final year of school. Since 1950, the program has awarded more $61 million in scholarships to medical students in 12 scholarship categories with a variety of focus areas, including serving those underrepresented in medicine.
