As the cost of medical education continues to increase, financial assistance for medical students is more important than ever. The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation has a long history of supporting young men and women who aspire to become physicians.

Application process:

By February of each year, the AMA Foundation will send a detailed packet of scholarship information to each medical school's Office of the Dean, Office of Student Affairs and Office of Financial Aid. It is through one of these offices that you can receive nomination and application information. It is the Office of the Dean or the Dean's Designate that must submit nominations to the AMA Foundation for the scholarships. Please note all deadlines for any Foundation scholarship or grant application are “arrive by” deadlines. This means that if you mail us your application, the materials must arrive at the AMA Foundation headquarters on or before that date. Here is a short synopsis of our scholarships that may apply to you.

Scholarships and awards:

AMA Foundation Minority Scholars Award - In collaboration with the Minority Affairs Consortium (MAC), with support from the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, the AMA Foundation offers the Minority Scholars Award. Ten Minority Scholars Awards are awarded annually, each in the amount of a $10,000 scholarship. You must be a current first or second-year student and a permanent resident or citizen of the U.S. Eligible students of minority background include African American/Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino. Each medical school is invited to submit up to two nominees.

Recipients announced:  June 2008

2008 Minority Scholars Award Recipients Announced (PDF, 24KB)

Minority Scholars Award photos

View a slideshow of Minority Scholars Award activities at the AMA Annual Meeting in June 2008. This link will take you off the AMA Web site. The AMA is not responsible for the content of other Web sites.

Learn about 2007 Minority Scholars Award recipients:

• Chuck Branch
• Michael Nevarez

AMA Foundation Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship - These $10,000 scholarships reward current third-year medical students, who are entering their fourth-year of study. The selection of the recipients will be based on academic achievement and financial need. Multiple scholarships, funded by the AMA Foundation, the Audio-Digest Foundation, Johnson F. Hammond, MD Fund, and the Rock Sleyster, MD Fund will be awarded in 2008. Partial funding for this program is provided by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

• There will be eight Physicians of Tomorrow scholarships funded by the AMA Foundation.
• The recipient of the one Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship funded by the Audio-Digest Foundation should have an interest in "the communication of science." Activities such as mentoring and/or teaching are examples of "communication of science."
• The recipient of the one Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship funded by the Johnson F. Hammond, MD Fund should have an interest in and commitment to a career in medical journalism.
• The recipient of the one Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship funded by the Rock Sleyster, MD, Fund should have an interest in and commitment to a career in psychiatry.

Each medical school may submit one nomination for each of these scholarship opportunities. Thus, each school may submit up to four nominations in total.

Applications available: February 2008
Nominations due: May 30, 2008
Recipients announced:  August 2008

2007 Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship Recipients Announced (PDF, 23KB)

Learn about 2007 Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship Recipient: Lara Knudsen

AMA Foundation Scholars Fund – The AMA Alliance - the largest volunteer arm of the AMA raises money each year for medical schools to distribute to deserving students of their choice. The AMA Foundation tracks these donations for medical schools independently in separate accounts. Medical schools receive notification of funds available in March 2008. Each dean or dean's designate chooses scholarship recipients based on the funds available. Each Scholars Fund award must be at least $1,000. If a school does not have $1,000 in their account, the AMA Foundation will let funds accumulate until one full scholarship can be fulfilled.

Medical School submits recipients to Foundation: July 1, 2008

The Arthur N. Wilson, MD, Scholarship – One $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a medical student who grew up in Southeast Alaska . Students may apply directly to the Foundation for this scholarship opportunity.

View the instructions and submission materials (PDF, 20KB)

Submission deadline: June 16, 2008
Recipient announced:  August 2008

Learn about the 2007 Arthur N. Wilson, MD Scholarship recipient: Mackenzie Slater

If you have questions about these scholarship opportunities, please contact:
Dina Lindenberg
Program Officer
(312) 464-4193
dina.lindenberg@ama-assn.org

Additional information about financial assistance is available on the following AMA Web sites:

AMA-MSS Resources for Financing Medical School

AMA-MAC Funding, Grants & Educational Programs

Frequently asked questions about the Foundation's scholarship programs

Frequently asked questions about the Foundation's scholarship programs.