Lakeland Health Foundations Award $117,000 in Scholarships and Grants
Through the Allied Health Careers Scholarship program, the Lakeland Health Foundations provided a total of $117,000
in the form of 48 scholarships and 75 department grants this year to Lakeland Health professionals and students
interested in pursuing healthcare careers. Over the past
23 years, the Lakeland Health Foundations have awarded over $1 million in scholarships and grants to Lakeland
associates, departments, and volunteers.
“We are very grateful to the generous friends of
Lakeland who have selflessly contributed funds,” said
David Burghart, Vice President of Philanthropy and
President of Lakeland Health Foundations. “Through the creation of memorials and other endowed funds, Lakeland associates are advancing their clinical skills for providing exemplary care to our community.”
This year’s ceremony included two new memorial
scholarships: the John Proos, MD, Memorial Scholarship
and the Deborah Lynn Griffin Memorial Scholarship.
An honored member of the Lakeland medical staff for many years, Dr. Proos served on the Lakeland Health Foundation Board with distinction. In keeping with Dr. Proos’ dedication to caring for generations of local families, this scholarship
is available to second- or third-year Lakeland resident
physicians specializing in family medicine. The inaugural recipient of this scholarship was Katherine Skurski, DO.
The Deborah Lynn Griffin Memorial Scholarship was created to provide funds for physical and occupational therapy team members at Lakeland to pursue continuing education.
A longtime Lakeland associate and volunteer, Deborah was in a wheelchair for the last 10 years of her life, but with the help of her therapists, she was able to live an active life and
advocate for the disabled in the community. The first
recipient of this scholarship was Physical Therapist Abby Dill.
During the scholarship ceremony, Loren B. Hamel, MD, President and CEO of Lakeland Health, presented ConnectIT team member Tyson Stewart with the organization’s Leo Soorus Leadership Award to honor his exemplary leadership in key projects related to electronic health records.
Lakeland’s achievements in these areas received
international recognition with the prestigious Davies Award from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The Leo Soorus Leadership Award and grant, developed through the Lakeland Health Foundations, honor Soorus’ many contributions to southwest Michigan
as a Lakeland executive and as a leader of many
community and professional organizations.