Tenth District Congressman Donald
Payne, who helped establish a medical school scholarship in conjunction
with the Congressional Black Caucus and Ross University Medical School,
will present an award tonight to the first recipient of the scholarship
in the nation. The presentation will be made at the Awards Dinner
of the Urban League of Hudson County, which will be held at Casino-in-the-Park
in Jersey City.
Congressman Payne nominated Mrs. Deborah Henry of Jersey City, who held
on to her dream of becoming a doctor for over 25 years, for the medical
school scholarship. She was recently notified that her nomination
was approved, making her the first applicant in the nation to win the award.
After becoming a wife and a mother of four children, Mrs. Henry returned
to school in 1995 and successfully pursued a Bachelor of Science degree
in Chemistry with a minor in Biology. She managed to carry a full
time schedule of classes while also teaching Biology to fifth graders,
working on two undergraduate research projects, and establishing a public
school outreach program to encourage interest in the sciences among minority
students. Her research projects resulted in published papers in the
American Chemical Society’s annual Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting journal
and the annual journal of the Society for Biomaterials. As a student,
Mrs. Henry won a number of honors, including the New Jersey City University’s
Portraits of Excellence Award.
The scholarship which Congressman Payne helped establish is called the
Eliza Anna Grier Scholarship for Underrepresented Minorities, and is named
after the first African American physician in the state of Georgia, who
in 1897 overcame significant social and financial obstacles to become a
doctor and return to her home community to practice medicine. The
award is intended for students who plan to return to practice in communities
which have been underserved in the area of health care.
One of Mrs. Henry’s goals is to return to the Jersey City community
and establish a non-profit clinic in a community center to provide health
care to economically disadvantaged patients.
“Mrs. Henry will make an outstanding physician,” Congressman Payne said.
“She has a great combination of ability, energy and compassion which will
benefit the community when she returns to practice medicine.”
