Tri-Valley grad receives full scholarship to medical school
VALLEY VIEW – A Tri-Valley High School graduate is headed to medical school on a full scholarship.
Brooke Adams, a 2020 Tri-Valley grad and 2024 Ursinus College grad, received the award through the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton.
Adams, of Valley View, will begin her medical school journey at Geisinger Commonwealth in July.
She will attend four years of medical school and receive a monthly stipend while there.
Following that, she will complete four years of residency, then return to a Geisinger facility to complete four years of service, which is a stipulation of the scholarship.
“Brooke is a standout in so many ways. I never had a doubt that she would have her pick of medical schools,” said Ursinus Professor of Biology Rebecca Lyczak, Ph.D., who worked with Adams closely during her time at Ursinus. “A full scholarship to medical school is almost unheard of, but if anyone could earn it, I am not surprised it was Brooke. I know she will be a wonderful physician.”
During her time at Ursinus College, Adams worked at Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital as a nursing assistant inpatient. That’s where she realized her passion for making a difference at the community level for people facing similar barriers to ones she faced growing up in a rural part of Pennsylvania.
Adams says the experience, along with others she had during her college years, taught her how socioeconomic, geographic, and racial/ethnic health disparities, along with accessibility barriers, significantly impact health outcomes.
“These insights have driven my commitment to pursue a primary care specialty and to advocate for community-based intervention programs that address these systemic inequities,” Adams explained. “The motivation behind the [Abigail Geisinger] scholarship program is to invest in students who will become leaders in primary care and improve public health in the many healthcare shortage areas found throughout the state.”
Adams says her Ursinus journey helped to prepare her for the grueling medical school application process.
“I would not have known how to answer [many of the questions on the applications] if I hadn’t gone to Ursinus, and I feel so passionate about that,” she explained. “I learned at Ursinus how important community is and how important learning from others and growing alongside of others is, and why that’s so important, especially as a future physician, because truly, your job as a physician first, in my opinion, is to be an advocate and a really good listener.”
Adams was one of 10 valedictorians in the Class of 2024 at Ursinus. She was also a three-season athlete, a fellow for the Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good, and an honors research student. She is currently working full-time as a research specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and part-time at Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania as a surgical reproductive health center assistant.
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