Officials from the Rhode Island Foundation announced the organization recently awarded a grant to the Alpert Medical School, which is part of Brown University in Providence.
The grant, worth $87,631, will help the medical center train and promote careers within the healthcare sector. Neil Steinberg, CEO of the foundation, relayed that the nation is currently facing a significant lack of physicians, and more than 66,000 Rhode Island natives are without primary healthcare. Thus, he hopes the fund will go a long way toward promoting the industry and helping train future doctors.
Often, schools receiving funds have invested in new technology, incorporating computers, devices or even HDMI projectors for presentations; however, the funds from the RIF will assist the school's community in other ways.
The largest part of the awarded fund will go toward paying community doctors to assist and mentor med students. Mentors at Alpert are typically overwhelmed with work and cannot meet the increased need for mentorship among the school's med students. Thus, having the ability to work with established professionals in the field could go a long way toward shaping the future of current med students.
The American Cancer Society also recently issued grants to further research and training. Officials from the nonprofit announced that it awarded more than $51 million during the second round of its 2011 grant period.
