We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 MEDEX Student Scholarships. There are seven scholarship categories, each named after an individual of particular importance to the MEDEX Northwest PA program. Decisions are based primarily on the evaluation by MEDEX leadership of short essays submitted by the students with stated interests in specific scholarships. Congratulations to all!

Liza Benson Scholarship

Savannah Simmerman of MEDEX Anchorage Class 14 is the recipient of the 2024 Liza Benson Scholarship.

Liza Benson was MEDEX Seattle Class 45 student who lost her life in a skiing accident upon returning to her native Wyoming for clinical rotations. This scholarship recognizes MEDEX students who share Liza’s spirit of adventure, and who have plans to practice in a wilderness or rural setting within the WWAMI region.

Savannah Simmerman: I am grateful and honored to receive the 2024 Liza Benson scholarship. I deeply resonate with the passion Liza had for adventure, wilderness, and the goal of touching the lives of others through a career as a PA. 

Barbara Gunter-Flynn Scholarship

Dain Kuhn of MEDEX Spokane Class 26 is the recipient of the 2024 Barbara Gunter-Flynn Scholarship.

Barbara Gunter-Flynn graduated from MEDEX in 1979 and helped to launch the MEDEX Spokane campus. As a PA, Gunter-Flynn was committed to expanding care to the medically underserved. This scholarship goes to a student who is similarly inspirational and shares a commitment to service of the medically underserved.

Dain Kuhn: I am honored to receive the 2024 Barbara Gunter-Flynn Scholarship. I look forward to using the knowledge and skills I have learned during PA school to give back to underserved populations in Eastern Washington. 

Christopher A. Heim Memorial Student Support Fund

Will Marshall of MEDEX Seattle Class 56 is the recipient of the 2024 Christopher A. Heim Student Support Fund.

Chris Heim was a graduate of Seattle MEDEX Class 41. Prior to becoming a PA, Chris served in U.S. Army for 23 years as Special Forces medic and master sergeant. Chris had just established a private practice when his life was cut short in a motorcycle accident. This scholarship recognizes an outstanding military veteran among the current MEDEX student cohort.

Will Marshall: I am thankful to receive the Chris Heim scholarship. Like Chris, I served for over 20 years in the Army as a Special Forces Medic, retiring as a First Sergeant. His story is one of the reasons that I chose MEDEX and I am proud to have attended a school so strongly supportive of veterans.

Jennifer Johnston Scholarship

There are two recipients of the 2024 Jennifer Johnston Scholarship: Tanessa Kenny (L) of Seattle Class 56 and Angel Eto (R) of Seattle Class 56. 

Jennifer Johnston was the program Administrator and Admissions Director at MEDEX for 30 years. She funds this scholarship as a way to recognize students who have demonstrated tenacity at overcoming life’s hurdles, and a commitment to rise above significant obstacles on their pathway to becoming physician assistants.

Tanessa Kenny: I am deeply honored to receive the Jennifer Johnston Scholarship. This award acknowledges the challenges I’ve overcome on my path to becoming a physician assistant and motivates me to use my experiences to inspire and support others on their own journey. Thank you for this recognition. 

Mike Merrill Scholarship

Renée E. Pollack of MEDEX Seattle Class 56 is the recipient of the 2024 Mike Merrill Scholarship.

Mike Merrill graduated with MEDEX Class 26 and worked in the ER at Group Health. After Mike passed away, his family and friends established an endowed scholarship fund to support students interested in a career in emergency medicine. This award goes to a second-year student planning to enter practice in emergency medicine.

Renée E. Pollack: Emergency medicine is a passion that was sparked in me years ago as an EMT and Army Medic, and I am so looking forward to continuing that passion through emergency medical practice as a PA. I am honored to be the recipient of the Mike Merrill award, and the support it provides for me to continue in this field.

Ruth Ballweg Endowed Fund for Leadership in MEDEX

Chris Roach of MEDEX Seattle Class 57 is a recipient of the 2024 Ruth Ballweg Endowed Fund for Leadership in MEDEX.

Ruth Ballweg, MPH, PA-C Emeritus (1944-2022) served for 29 years as the Program Director of MEDEX Northwest and oversaw the expansion of campus sites to Spokane, Yakima, Alaska, and Tacoma. In 2017, she created the Endowed Fund for Leadership in MEDEX to support current MEDEX students in their development of leadership roles within the profession. Three students are awarded this year’s Ruth Ballweg Scholarship.

Chris Roach: I am honored and grateful to have been selected to receive the Ruth Ballweg Award! I’m passionate about pursuing leadership in PA practice to help advocate for others and approach dismantling institutional and systemic injustices which pose barriers to care. I am proud to represent MEDEX, Ruth Ballweg, the department of family medicine, and the collective mission of advocacy for which they stand. I’m grateful that this scholarship will help fund my attendance at AAPA this year and am looking forward to what I can contribute to and learn from the AAPA experience!

Dr. Richard Smith Scholarship

Dr. Richard Smith was the originator of the MEDEX Northwest program and a founding father of the PA profession. This award goes to potential leaders and visionaries who exhibit a commitment to increasing access to healthcare for the underserved. Four students are awarded this prestigious 2024 Richard Smith Scholarship.

Katie Walker

(Seattle Class 57)

Katie Walker: Prior to attending MEDEX, I spent six years working in health education in Seattle. I saw many patients who had low health literacy, so it was vital that we help them find, understand, and use health information and services to make informed decisions about their care. While I am proud of my contributions in this area, I also recognize that I was able to do so because I worked in a metropolitan area for an organization that had the wherewithal for such undertakings. Many of our patients came from around the WWAMI region because they were unable to get the care they needed at home, and unfortunately, there are still many more that are unable to do so. As a PA, I will endeavor to improve both access to care and health literacy in order to make strides toward health equity. It is an honor to receive the Dr. Richard Smith scholarship, and it is my sincere hope that I can further his legacy in caring for the underserved.

Tamija Woods

(Anchorage Class 15)

Tamija Woods: I always knew that I wanted to help people live healthy lives and make a positive impact in rural communities. I am one step closer to reaching my goals with the support of MEDEX. Dr. Richard Smith had a vision of starting the “multiplier effect” which is a vision dear to my heart because I have the honor of being an extension of his hands. I am truly honored and extremely grateful to be a recipient of a scholarship named after him because I want to be a diversified and inspiring leader for my community and state. I hope to continue to honor his legacy through my leadership and knowledge within MEDEX and while practicing medicine. 

Kaleo Lee

(Kona Class 4)

Kaleo Lee: I am truly honored and humbled to have been chosen for the Dr. Richard Smith Scholarship. Dr. Smith’s vision was to improve access to medicine. To me, this means making a tireless effort to go above and beyond what is expected and passionately serving the needs of the community and patients. The vision of service ingrained in this program has helped Kona 4 establish a lasting legacy on this campus and further Dr. Smith’s vision. While I am receiving this award, it represents the collective efforts and support of my 23 classmates, Kona faculty, staff, and administration. None of our achievements would have been possible without their collaboration and dedication. It is genuinely a blessing to represent this campus and the legacy of Dr. Richard Smith.

Hanna Albanese

(Spokane Class 27)

Hanna Albanese: I am profoundly honored and thrilled to receive the Dr. Richard Smith Scholarship. This incredible support is not only a financial boost but a powerful encouragement that fuels my passion and commitment to medicine. I have had to take the “long and winding road” – through immigrating to the U.S. , coming to terms and learning to thrive with a chronic illness, and finding my way from being a German M.D. to soon being an American PA-C. MEDEX believing in my potential means a lot to me, and I am determined to make the most of this opportunity on my path to becoming the kind of medical provider I needed when my own health had declined and a leader in increasing healthcare access for rural, underserved communities, a cause I am deeply dedicated to.

Click here for more information on MEDEX Northwest Student Scholarships. 

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Operational since 1969, MEDEX Northwest is the second oldest physician assistant education program in the U.S., and the largest civilian program. MEDEX currently has a total of over 250 first-year (didactic) and second-year (clinical) students hard at work across five campuses – Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Anchorage and Kona – in the states of Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.