The first recipients of dozens of new full-ride health sciences scholarships will attend classes at Old Dominion University this fall, but they have not yet been notified. They haven’t even been selected.
That’s because the primary support for these grants, two gifts totaling $40 million, was just announced Friday afternoon during a celebration of the long-awaited merger of Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University, which will officially take place on July 1.
Leaders unveiled the name of the program: Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University. It will be the largest health sciences center in Virginia, with more than 50 degrees offered, several of which are not available anywhere else in the commonwealth, said Cathy Lewis, community engagement liaison for ODU.
Sentara Health, a longtime EVMS supporter and key partner in the merger process, is investing $350 million in the combined health sciences program over 10 years, Lewis said.
After the event, EVMS President Alfred Abuhamad and ODU President Brian Hemphill spoke about the long road to integration, the support of their boards and their own joint work.
“From day one, we shared the vision to do this together,” said Abuhamad.
Hemphill called it a “perfect storm.”
“We are clearly two very complex organizations,” he said. “It took me leaving the ego out of the room and just coming together.”
During the ceremony, Dennis Matheis, president and CEO of Sentara Health, said he recently received a note describing the integration discussion as “intense at times.”
“That’s a mild way of putting it,” Matheis said with a laugh from the packed third-floor conference room of The Main in Norfolk. “But we got where we needed to go.”
In addition to funding, Sentara has committed to doubling the number of medical residencies in Virginia, recognizing that many physicians ultimately practice medicine where they complete their training. A state-funded model provides the combined ODU-EVMS institution with a solid foundation for future generations, Matheis said.
“This integration is critical to improving health care services for a region that has long struggled to reduce disparities in health outcomes and find its economic footing,” Matheis said.
The $40 million announced Friday consists of a $20 million gift from Dennis and Jan Ellmer and a $20 million gift from philanthropist Joan Brock, wife of the late Macon Brock, co-founder of Dollar Tree. Lewis said some of the latter’s funds are earmarked for the expansion of the Barry Art Museum. Dennis Ellmer is the founder of Priority Automotive.
There will be some differences between the scholarship programs – the Dennis and Jan Ellmer Health Scholars Program, the Dennis and Jan Ellmer Nursing Scholars Program and the Brock Opportunity Scholarship – but they are all designed to provide opportunities for promising students with ties to the region and the intention to stay after graduation.
Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU includes the EVMS School of Health Professions, the joint School of Public Health, the Ellmer College of Health Sciences, the Ellmer School of Nursing and the Eastern Virginia School of Medicine at ODU.
Not all 56 degrees will be available immediately as the schools are still working through the requirements with various accrediting bodies, Abuhamad and Hemphill said, but none of the approximately 5,000 students enrolled for the fall will be affected.
Do you have a healthcare or scientific story, question or problem? Contact Katrina Dix, 757-222-5155, katrina.dix@virginiamedia.com.
