Pritzker News
Nereida Esparza Selected for Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship
Nereida Esparza, MS3 and Monica Vela, MD
October 27, 2008—Nereida Esparza, a third-year student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, has been chosen as one of just five medical students in the country to receive the prestigious Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship, given by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). This scholarship seeks to recognize “outstanding students entering their third year of medical school who have shown leadership in efforts to eliminate inequities in medical education and health care and demonstrated leadership efforts in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs of minorities in the United States.” Nereida will be honored at the AAMC Annual Meeting on November 3, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.
Nereida Esparza, MS3 with fellow Nickens Medical Student Scholarship recipients
As a Pritzker student, Nereida’s interest in the issue of inequalities piqued during Orientation when she became invested in Dr. Monica Vela’s Health Care Disparities in America experience. She returned the following year to serve as a teaching assistant for the Orientation initiative.
As a second-year student, Nereida was elected Co-President of the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine’s chapter of the National Network of Latin American Students (NNLAMS) and President of the Multicultural Community for the Academic Advancement in Medicine (MCAAM). Through these groups, she focuses her interests on raising awareness about Latino health issues and promoting the academic success of minority medical students.
To learn more about the Herbert W. Nickens award, please visit the AAMC website.
