Maryland’s Eastern Shore is a beautiful place filled with farms and small-town charm. But if you need a doctor or medical specialist, they can be hard to come by.
The Eastern Shore is designed as a medically underserved area, said Dr. Donna Parker, a senior associate dean at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
“People there have trouble getting to the doctor, finding doctors that are available with appointments in a timely fashion, having to drive too far to get a doctor,” she said.
That’s why UMD’s medical school launched a rural health care program it calls R-HEALE. The school is giving a small number of full-tuition scholarships to students who commit to working on the Eastern Shore for four years after becoming doctors.
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The students in the program come from rural areas themselves and have insight into the communities they will serve. Student Sarah McDonald grew up in Salisbury.
“I’ve known people who’ve had to travel a couple of hours to receive specialized care,” she said. “I’m excited that I will get to give back to the community that I grew up in.”
Student Tahreem Riaz lived in a small village in Pakistan before she moved to Harford County. The full-ride scholarship is making her dream of becoming a doctor possible.
“I grew up in a rural area, and the specialized training I will get through R-HEALE will prepare me to connect with the people of the Eastern Shore. As I can connect with them, I think I can provide them with better quality care,” she said.
More than 1 million Maryland residents live in medically underserved areas, and most are on the Eastern Shore.
A UMD School of Medicine study found people in rural areas are at significantly higher risk of developing complications from chronic disease and are 10% more likely to have a heart attack.
Student Zobia Rani said she hopes living and working on the Eastern Shore can help bring those statistics down.
“There’s a lot of chronic diseases that can be prevented if you talk to your patients,” she said.
Six students are in the program now and three have full med school scholarships. The hope is to increase that number to 10 a year.
