LA Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan, is awarding eight full medical school scholarships to future physicians committed to giving back by caring for communities like those that shaped them.
The scholarships are part of LA Care’s Elevating the Safety Net (ESN) initiative, a $255 million investment launched in 2018 to strengthen the region’s healthcare workforce by helping build a pipeline of physicians prepared to deliver culturally sensitive, community-rooted care in medically underserved areas of Los Angeles County through medical school scholarships, provider loan repayment, recruitment support for safety net providers and other workforce development programs.
“Building a healthcare workforce that understands and reflects the journey and lived experience of our communities is essential to improving health outcomes across Los Angeles County,” said Martha Santana-Chin, LA Care CEO. “Students from underserved communities often have firsthand knowledge of the challenges their patients face and are more likely to return to those communities to provide care. At the same time, many aspiring physicians are navigating significant financial barriers, including the rising cost of medical education and new limits on borrowing for medical school.”
Now in its ninth year, ESN’s Medical School Scholarship provides nearly $500,000 in support per student over the course of their medical education, removing financial barriers that can prevent talented, mission-driven students from pursuing careers in medicine. A total of 72 scholarships have been awarded to students attending the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU).
Caring for the Most Vulnerable Patients
This year’s DGSOM scholarship recipients are Samad Acklin, Uchenna Akanno, Vanessa Alvarado and Lorena Gonzalez. This year’s CDU scholarship recipients are Roberto Del Castillo, Eimar Ixtlilco, Ugo Umekwe-Odudu and Jesus Vasquez.
“Growing up in Los Angeles as the daughter of a single mother, I learned early that health is shaped by far more than what happens in a clinic,” said Gonzalez. “I want to care for patients at their most vulnerable while also helping shape a healthcare system that is more compassionate, accessible and responsive to the communities it serves.”
“Seeing how social determinants of health continue to prevent people from receiving the care they need reignited my passion for medicine,” said Umekwe-Odudu. “It solidified my desire to become a physician who always puts patients first, advocates for underserved patients and works to ensure that quality healthcare is accessible to everyone.”
More than 11 million Californians live in areas without enough primary care physicians, and by 2030, the state will need more than 8,200 additional physicians to meet basic health needs. With new challenges facing aspiring physicians, including changes to student loan limits under H.R. 1, the path to medical school may become even more difficult for many students, particularly those from underserved communities who are vital to building a diverse healthcare workforce.
“This scholarship is more than an investment in eight students. It is an investment in the future of healthcare across Los Angeles County,” said Melanie Fontes Rainer, L.A. Care’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer. “By supporting these future physicians, we are helping build a stronger, more diverse healthcare workforce and ensuring that more patients have access to providers who understand their experiences and their needs.”
More information about the ESN Medical School Scholarship Program is available at https://www.lacare.org/providers/elevating-safety-net/2025-scholarships.