Scholarship Helps Fill Big Need for Small Town Doctors

Clara Callahan, MD, was born and raised in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania—a community “in the middle of nowhere” where it was difficult for the hospitals in the area to attract doctors. 

So, when it came time for the Jefferson post grad alum and former professor and dean to give back to the place she calls “home,” she decided to focus on helping physicians willing to practice in small, rural regions.

In 2016, she established the Clara Callahan Merit Scholarship Fund at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, which gives preference to students participating in the Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP).

Like her hometown of Philipsburg, there are many small, rural areas all over the country that have the same problem finding doctors willing to locate and practice there because the pay and social life cannot compete with larger, more metropolitan areas, she says.

Jefferson’s Physician Shortage Area Program was a perfect fit for her desire to create a scholarship for students willing to fill that gap. “It was a nice meshing of what I was hoping to do—support students with a scholarship—and something that was already set up—the PSAP.”  

Jefferson’s PSAP,  instituted in 1974, is designed to increase the supply and retention of physicians in rural areas and small towns. The program recruits, trains, and supports medical students who intend to practice in a similar area after residency training. Since the program began, more than 300 PSAP physicians have received their training at Jefferson. 

Callahan graduated from the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital in 1977. She started her residency in pediatrics at MCP, but transferred to Jefferson in her third year “and I stayed the entire rest of my career,” she says.

Following residency, she was invited to stay as a fellow. She joined the Jefferson faculty as assistant professor of pediatrics in 1984, and became assistant dean for student affairs in 1987. In 1991, she was promoted to clinical professor of pediatrics, and then to associate dean for student affairs in 1992. She became the Lillian H. Brent Dean of Students and Admissions in 1999. She retired in 2021.

“I had a long history at Jefferson, interacting with medical students in many different roles, and I know how important scholarships are,” she says.

In fact, she knows it firsthand.

“I was lucky throughout my college and medical school careers to receive scholarships, and I know how much easier it made my life,” she says, noting she was able to complete her education without having to worry about a significant amount of student debt.

The scholarships allowed her to pursue her passion rather than choose a career based on how much money she would make, as specialties such as pediatrics and family medicine traditionally pay less than others. 

When establishing her own scholarship, “one of the things I wanted to do is make it a little easier for people to do what they really love and not have to worry about paying back loans,” she says.

Callahan says that donating to a scholarship fund is the “perfect thing to do with money.” She encourages others to contribute to medical school scholarships, and emphasizes that whether the donation is large or small, any amount helps. 

“Being a physician is one of the best, most honorable things that you can do,” Callahan says. “It would be a very good idea to invest in someone who’s going to go out and do good when they finish school.”