The AMA Foundation will have a new addition to the Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship portfolio: the Illinois Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship. For the last several years, a group of 14 doctors and spouses, led by long-time Illinois family physician Dr. William Kobler, past AMA Foundation Board President and current member of the AMA Board of Trustees, have been working to raise enough donations to fully endow one of the AMA Foundation’s $10,000 scholarships to support an Illinois-based medical student.

This past June, the Illinois Honor Fund passed the $250,000 threshold to qualify as a separate, named scholarship in the program, which included a generous contribution from the Illinois State Medical Society Alliance. The passion and dedication of the core group – the Founding Donors – to the Illinois Honor Fund, is energizing. “It is so rewarding to work with donors who care so much about giving back,” says Sandi Smith, Director of Advancement at the AMA Foundation. “It was a pleasure to facilitate the discussion on the nuts and bolts creating the scholarship, as well as all of the fundraising initiatives along the way.”

The criteria for the scholarship is simple: applicants much be a resident of Illinois with expressed plans to practice medicine in Illinois after residency, as well as meet the general application requirements. The Physicians of Tomorrow Program awards $10,000 scholarships to rising final-year medical students at institutions across the country. The current round of applications is live, and this group of physicians is eager to select their first recipient in 2020. “On behalf of the founding donors,” says Dr. Kobler, “it is an honor and privilege to announce the Illinois Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship. I want to convey a big Thank You to all who contributed to make this possible, but especially the founding donors for their exceptional generosity. We are honored to “Give Back, Pay It
Forward’ through this scholarship!”