OXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi Luckyday Scholar from Tupelo has earned a spot in the selective University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Rural Physicians Scholarship Program.
Kang-lin Tsai, a junior chemistry major, was accepted into the prestigious program, which places medical professionals in small Mississippi towns to help combat rural physician shortage and improve the health of Mississippians.
“My future career is what Mississippi really lacks right now,” said Tsai, who plans to practice family medicine. “In news stories, you hear how lacking health care is in parts of Mississippi. I want to help change that.”
Launched in 2007, the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program supports students beginning their junior year of undergraduate studies through medical school and generalist residency training. Upon completion of the program, students agree to practice in a town of fewer than 20,000 residents, located more than 20 miles from a medically served area.
Luckyday students have experienced the benefits of giving back to Mississippi firsthand; the program, established by late Frank R. Day, a former chairman of the board and CEO of Trustmark National Bank, provides deserving high school students with opportunities to attend a major university through financial and academic support.
“Frank Day felt strongly about giving back to the state of Mississippi and he did that throughout his lifetime and even now after his death,” said Patrick Perry, director of Luckyday Programs. “The Rural Physicians Scholarship program is about that. He would be thrilled and so excited about our students being in a program where they are going to give back to the state of Mississippi once they begin their medical careers. We’re very lucky to have these students.”
Through the Luckyday Success Program, students receive academic support including study hall and career development assistance. Scholars must also complete community service requirements.
“In a way, the two programs are very similar,” Tsai said. “I enjoy how the programs bring people together and strive for the same goal. I hope to have the same environment when I leave Ole Miss.”
For Senora Miller-Logan, assistant director of Luckyday Programs, Tsai’s acceptance into the program was no surprise.
“Kang-lin is a very serious, dedicated student,” she said. “He is very committed to his goal of becoming a physician.”
Tsai, son of Jeff and Joyce Tsai of Tupelo, is a graduate of Tupelo High School.
For more information on the UM Luckyday program, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/studentaffairs/luckyday/. To learn more about the Rural Physicians Scholarship Program, visit http://www.umc.edu/mrpsp/.
By Lindsey Abernathy