Flinn alum receives full-ride to new UA-Phoenix med school

The typical excitement of starting school was turned up a few notches Aug. 3 as a ceremony studded with doctors and dignitaries welcomed 24 medical students into the inaugural class at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University. Flinn Scholar Sarah Whitley ('02) received an even warmer welcome: a standing ovation and a full-ride scholarship.

Whitley, a 23 year-old graduate of Phoenix's North High School and the University of Arizona, was announced as the med school's first Apogee Scholar. The scholarship, created by Apogee Physicians, will cover Whitley's tuition, books, and fees throughout her four years of study. Altogether, the scholarship is worth roughly $80,000.

Whitley said that she was particularly drawn to the College of Medicine-Phoenix's small class sizes and the close mentorship built into the curriculum, along with the opportunity to be a sort of pioneer. "I like that the students will have such a big impact on a developing school," she said. "It's a chance to give something back and contribute."

Also, attending the new med school will be a sort of homecoming for Whitley. "My family lives here," she said. "We're all very close, and I love being in the same city again."

Whitley's Phoenix roots are deep: the classrooms where she will begin examining doctor-patient communication and the mechanisms of disease were once the domain of her grandfather, a student at Phoenix Union High School 70 years ago. The campus of Phoenix's first high school fell into disrepair after classes ended in 1984, receiving a $27 million renovation in order to reopen as part of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

Whitley and her new classmates will each be matched with a practicing physician in the community for a two-year longitudinal clinical experience. "As far as I know, there are no programs like it anywhere else," Whitley said. Twice a month, she will join Adele O'Sullivan of the Maricopa County Healthcare for the Homeless clinic in downtown Phoenix, gaining experience in basic clinical practices.

"I wanted to work with an underserved population," Whitley said. "It is a chance for me to see what is needed in health care and it will help me grow into a compassionate and community-oriented physician."

Innovations like the longitudinal clinical experience, along with the collaboration between the UA and ASU will set apart the new med school, said Robert Bulla, past president of the Arizona Board of Regents. "The whole country is watching what we are doing on this campus," he declared at the ceremony Aug. 3 welcoming the new students.

Ted Shortliffe, dean of the College of Medicine-Phoenix, described the unprecedented cooperative planning between the two universities and the support they received from the Board of Regents, the City of Phoenix, the Legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The presidents of both UA and ASU also addressed the students, their families, faculty and staff from both universities, and dozens of regional leaders. UA President Robert Shelton spoke via a videotaped message. ASU President Michael Crow echoed Bulla's assessment. "We consciously decided to take a path of cooperation and innovation," he said. "This is an absolutely unique environment."

Whitley's scholarship was announced by Michael Gregory, chairman of Apogee Physicians, a network of hospitalist practices based in Phoenix.

"Frequently, the best and the brightest look at the daunting costs of becoming a doctor and say no," Dr. Gregory said. He said that awareness of the substantial debt new doctors typically carry after completing medical school prompted Apogee to create the scholarship.

Dr. Gregory emphasized that the scholarship award, which is exclusive to students at the new med school, is strictly merit-based. "We're looking for someone who epitomizes the best of the best in medicine," he said. "And we believe that Sarah does."

To make its selection, Apogee Physicians reviewed blinded files and essays comprising students' applications to the College of Medicine-Phoenix and consulted with Dr. Shortliffe. Consequently, Whitley had no idea she might be the first Apogee Scholar. "It was a complete surprise for me when they told me over breakfast" in late July, she said.

Whitley's academic record made her a strong contender for the award. After completing North High's International Baccalaureate program, she was named a Flinn Scholar, receiving a comprehensive scholarship package awarded to Arizona's high-achieving high-school seniors. She double majored in molecular and cellular biology and saxophone performance at the UA, graduating with honors.

She augmented her studies in Tucson with international travel supported by her Flinn Scholarship, studying marine biology and population genetics in Australia and New Zealand and saxophone in the Netherlands.

Dr. Gregory said that Apogee Physicians hopes to expand its scholarship funding to additional students in future years. "My hope is that we'll be able to support the best and brightest in each class," he said. "The current plan is to sponsor at least four students per year by 2011."

By then, the College of Medicine-Phoenix campus will be significantly more crowded. From the current class of 24 students, Dr. Shortliffe is aiming to expand to an incoming class of 150 by 2012, three years earlier than originally planned.