Carly MurphyThe Ronald M. Simon Family Foundation reaffirms its commitment to education and community health with a generous donation to extend the Simon Scholar Physician Assistant Program at Chapman University for another five years. This philanthropic initiative aims to provide pathways to careers in health care for underserved and lower socio-economic students in Orange County.
The gift from the Simon Family Foundation will fund 10 full-tuition scholarships for each entering class of the Simon Scholar Physician Assistant Program. These scholarships offer students the opportunity to pursue a first-class master’s degree in medical science at Chapman University, with a commitment to serve in Orange County for three years post-graduation.
The Simon Family Foundation started the Simon Scholar PA program at Chapman in 2019 with a generous donation. The first cohort of Simon Scholars were admitted to the highly selective Physician Assistant program in 2021.
“We are thrilled with the success of the Simon Scholar PA program in supporting talented, underprivileged students as they pursue careers in this important field,” said Ron Simon. “Through this program, we are showing our dedication to improving the lives of Chapman students and answering the health care needs of Orange County.”
While the Simon Family Foundation works with various universities to create a pipeline from high school to college, Chapman is the first to extend the program to graduate students. This creates a talent pipeline from the high schools to universities and graduate-level programming.
The Simon Scholar program at Chapman aims to create pathways for students facing social and economic adversity to earn a Master of Medical Science (MMS) degree in a burgeoning profession in the healthcare industry. Considering physician assistants in the region make on average about $138,000 annually, formerly underserved students will depart Chapman University’s Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences with little or no debt and a path to a meaningful career.
Notably, the demand for physician assistants in Orange County has significantly increased over the last decade and is projected to continue growing on a national scale. Crean College Dean Janeen Hill said the county will need about 40% more physician assistants over the next decade to meet the health care needs of the community.
“It gives the students and their families the opportunity to change the financial profile of their family by allowing them to enter into a highly valued profession,” Hill said. “These students also give back to the community and help with the increased demand for physician assistants that we have in Orange County.”
Simon Scholar alumni are particularly well-suited to satisfying industry and societal needs by providing cutting-edge health care to community members. Orange County has several medically underserved communities that have limited or no access to quality health care. The Simon Scholar graduates help deliver needed services to these areas after graduation.
The scholarships also contribute to diversity in the classroom and the healthcare industry. Students from underserved communities bring a critical perspective that has been lacking in health forums, Hill said.
“What we are doing with this program is not just increasing the number of physician assistants, but we’re increasing the number of physician assistants that are practicing in medically underserved communities,” Hill said. “This will have a profound impact on the overall health of the county. Similarly, these students have very challenging backgrounds that inform perspectives that are very important for other students to be exposed to.”
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About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university in Orange, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Chapman serves nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from 123 areas of study within 11 colleges for a personalized education. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution. Students at Chapman learn directly from distinguished world-class faculty including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur fellows, published authors and Academy Award winners. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. The university features the No. 4 film school and No. 60 business school in the U.S. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.
