NSU Horizons Fall 2017

8 NSU HORIZONS communities, and most find it extremely rewarding, according to Elaine Wallace, D.O., dean of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteo- pathic Medicine. “Our mission is to serve the underserved. So I think we attract the type of students who are very inter- ested in working with people in their communities and in their homes. It is a requirement of the college that our first-year students do 40 hours of community service, which they are graded on. Our second-year students are required to do service as well,” Wallace said. “We are also a leader in medical outreach programs. We take missions to Ecuador and Jamaica— this year, we are also going to India, the Dominican Republic, and to Puerto Rico to help.” Having exposure to diverse cul- tures, isolated areas, and impoverished people helps many NSU graduates realize that their calling is not to work in a modern, well-equipped and staffed hospital, but to aid people who are unable to help themselves. ASSIST STUDENTS As part of the commitment from the Patels, scholarship monies will be available to students in the health care sciences and osteopathic medi- cine colleges. As a person from humble origins, Dr. K believes it is important to assist students financially as they train to be of service to others. “The best gift you can give anyone is the gift of education,” he said. Alumnus Erik Ridgway, M.M.S., who graduated from the physician assistant program in 2014, received a student scholarship in his second year at NSU. He reflected on how receiving the award provided him with the freedom to continue supporting an outreach program that offered CPR/ AED training to high school students in a medically underserved commu- nity. “Scholarships are important, because they lift a financial burden and incentivize students to do more and to think about ways to help people in communities with the greatest need,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful for what I received.” ECONOMIC IMPACT Transformational. That buzzword is used so frequently that its meaning is often overlooked. However, the Patel gift is truly transformative in that it will not only transform NSU, future medical professionals, and patients who will be treated by those profes- sionals, it will equally transform the local community of Clearwater and surrounding areas. While there will be an immediate increase in trade jobs and related fields during con- struction of the Tampa Bay Regional Campus, the impact for the long term will be significant. NSU estimates that by 2022, the university will be responsible for a more-than-$575-million direct annual economic impact on the Greater Tampa Bay area. This estimate is based on the soon-to-be-started