CMS foundation helping students

Sunday, November 01, 2015 11:30 AM

CMS Education Foundation 2014-2015 scholarship recipients

by Michael J. Campo, PhD, support staff, Colorado Medical Society Education Foundation

In June, first-year students from the University of Colorado School of Medicine – Andrew Maroncelli, Matthew Minturn, Cameron Niswander and Allison Rippy – were each awarded an $8,750 scholarship from the Colorado Medical Society Education Foundation (CMS EF).

The mission of the CMS EF, a 501(c)(3) private foundation, is to render financial support to select first-year medical students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine based on criteria such as the student’s financial status, academic achievement and desire to practice in rural or underserved areas upon graduation. In addition to providing scholarships, CMS EF supports education programs such as the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair and the Education Program at the CMS annual meeting.

“The CMS EF Board appreciates the generous donations and support from CMS members who make our scholarships possible,” said CMS EF Board Chair W. Gerald Rainer, MD, a clinical professor of surgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The four recipients are as follows.

Andrew Maroncelli is a member of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Class of 2019. For the past year he has worked as a medical assistant at the Stout Street Health Center operated by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. His work at the clinic has provided him with an understanding of the dynamics of a small clinic, including patient flow and integrated teamwork.

Andrew is a nationally certified emergency medical technician (EMT) and is involved in emergency protocol and patient care at the Stout Street Health Center. Andrew first became interested in a medical career while an undergraduate student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He pursued this interest by volunteering at Denver Health Medical Center, University Hospital’s Case Medical Center and the Stout Street Eye Clinic, and by shadowing physicians in several different medical specialties. Andrew is a Lakewood, Colo. native and enjoys snowboarding, hiking, tennis and playing the piano.

Matthew Minturn is a native of western Colorado. He graduated from Rifle High School in 2005 and later attended Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. He spent the majority of the 10 years following high school graduation working as an EMT in the emergency department at Grand River Medical Center in Rifle, and it was there that he became committed to pursuing a career in medicine. Working alongside physicians caring for members of his own community taught him the value of learning about patients’ lives, the importance of primary care, and the role that physicians play in such communities. He hopes to return to western Colorado to provide comprehensive and holistic health care to rural communities.

Cameron Niswander grew up in Routt County, Colo. and attended high school in nearby Steamboat Springs. Living in this rural community helped shape his interests in medicine, which eventually led him to continue his education at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He then took a few years after he graduated before applying to medical school, as he felt he needed to gain real-world, everyday experience. This has given him unique insight and preparation for his future career. Throughout his life he says he has always been filled with passion for the mountains and the outdoors, passion for health sciences and passion for people. With anything he does, he commits all of his energy and resources; it’s something he finds essential to both productivity and happiness. He organizes his time so he can give full attention to all tasks and goals. He describes himself as “an enthusiastic academic and an outgoing companion who is truly excited to continue this journey in medicine and give back to the communities that helped me find my passion.”

Allison Rippy was born and raised just outside of Glenwood Springs, Colo. Growing up in a small town, she developed a strong sense of community and service. After high school, she attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., where she gained a cross-cultural curiosity and an appreciation for diversity through study abroad in Europe, South America and Asia. She graduated from St. Olaf summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in biological sciences and a concentration in Asian studies. Her love of medicine is multi-faceted, but was strongly fueled by helping her sister cope with a chronic disease, and understanding the hardships of living in a rural, underserved community. She is in the rural track at CU School of Medicine and plans to pursue a career in primary care. Ultimately, she says her goal is to return to a small town on the Western Slope to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art health care to her community.