Triple-S Foundation grants $69K to support education of 6 medical specialists
Each student received $11,500 for their education.
Six medical residents in pediatrics, orthopedics and neurology at educational institutions in Puerto Rico recently received a combined $69,000 from the Triple-S Foundation Fund grant program, which aims to retain specialists on the island.
Each student received $11,500 after their applications were selected from a pool of 10 submissions during a call for applications in April.
“Originally, the Triple-S Foundation Fund planned to award three scholarships. However, due to the excellent academic quality, the outstanding community leadership demonstrated by the applicants and the economic needs identified during the evaluation process, the Triple-S Foundation expanded the allocated budget to double the scholarships awarded,” said Thurman Justice, CEO of Triple-S.
The grant will assist the students in covering expenses related to room and board, tuition, books, laboratory equipment, technology, educational resources, food, and transportation.
The recipients include pediatric residents Jennifer Beníquez-Mártir from the Puerto Rico Women and Children’s Hospital; Gabriela Rosario-Reguero and Myrmarie Cruz-Pérez from the University of Puerto Rico’s Medical Sciences Campus; neurology residents Julio Antonio Nieves-Soto and José Carlos Rivera-Baiges from the Medical Sciences Campus; and Marcantonio V. Pinci, an orthopedics resident at the Medical Sciences Campus.
“Being the first physician in my family, I’ve had to cover the expenses for my doctoral studies in medicine with loans,” said Nieves-Soto.
“This scholarship provides essential financial support, allowing me to alleviate the burden of student debt and dedicate myself to my training,” he added, noting that he spent more than $118,000 in one year on his Chicago rotations alone.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a growing need arising from the shortage of medical specialists in Puerto Rico, due in part to the lack of resources for their development,” said José Novoa, medical director of Triple-S and member of the board of directors of the Triple-S Foundation.
“This situation entails a series of challenges, such as limited access to medical care, long wait times for patients and an overload on health professionals,” Novoa said. “It’s in our hands to take all necessary measures to encourage the training and retention of more medical specialists on the island.”
Lydia Figueroa, executive director of the Triple-S Foundation, highlighted that the foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health, “established this fund that seeks to support, motivate and retain these professionals so that they can practice in Puerto Rico, their island, in the future.”
