Pegula Sports & Entertainment has committed $1 million over the next 10 years for students who come from each of the 22 area counties. For each year, 10 students will be awarded with $10,000 scholarships.
"This initiative will create more medical professionals in our area and will benefit the surrounding counties of Western New York and the Southern Tier," she added. "
This is important, according to LECOM Provost Dr. Silvia Ferretti, who says there's quite a shortage of medical professionals in the region.
"There is a shortage of doctors there, and we know from our students doing clinical rotation there that many of them stayed after they've done their residency," said Ferretti. "So, we think we can make a significant difference in health and wellness."
Pegula says that fact was an impetus for developing the scholarship.
"That's why the scholarship kind of comes in because we want to make sure that a lot of the students that graduate, that we entice them to come back into our areas because, as Dr. Silvia said, there is a great need in our community here in Western New York and the Southern Tier for doctors," said Pegula. "We're hoping that the scholarship will entice people from this area, from the 22 communities that we are both serving, and that they continue to stay and serve in our communities."