Miller School of Medicine Donors and Scholars Celebrate Shared Success
Students and faculty alike took time to note the generosity of donors who support scholarship programs at the Miller School.
Joshua Foster’s years as a medical assistant for a spinal surgeon gave him a glimpse into how doctors guide patients through complicated medical journeys. It also laid bare the financial considerations — from medical school and beyond — of becoming a doctor.
“Student loans are a huge financial undertaking,” said Foster, now an M.D./M.B.A. candidate in the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Class of 2028. “I realized medical school would be a huge investment in my life. I’m sure that’s caused other people, who are very talented and capable of being excellent physicians, to be dissuaded from the field.”
A second-year medical student, Foster is supported by funds from the Paul J. DiMare Medical Scholarship.
“I feel extremely grateful that I didn’t have to go through those calculations in my mind,” he said. “The donors made it clear that medicine was for me.”
Currently working through his pediatric clinical rotation, Foster said the scholarship enables him to select a medical specialty without worrying about whether it’s lucrative enough to pay off his debt.
“I have the freedom to choose a specialty that will have the best impact on other people,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with this, and now it’s my turn to bless other people with the skills I’m learning at Miller.”
Foster, whose mother immigrated to the U.S. from The Philippines at age 18, said his scholarship proves that the American Dream lives on.
“Donors help continue that dream for people in the younger generation,” he said. “They provide a gift that allows people to keep dreaming.”
Saying Thank You for the Chance to be a Doctor
On October 28, Foster and his fellow students met with and thanked the donors who support their scholarships during the 2025 Miller School Donors and Scholars Celebration at the Penthouse at Riverside Wharf in Miami.
On a night filled with gratitude, connection and shared purpose, Dean Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., emphasized that philanthropic support of Miller School students has helped it become one of the nation’s preeminent medical schools.
“Many of our extraordinarily talented students would not be able to attend the Miller School and experience our novel curriculum, NextGenMD, if it weren’t for your incredible generosity,” said Dean Ford, who is also the Miller School’s chief academic officer. “You make it possible for our medical students to attend an elite medical school, learn from talented faculty and access brilliant research opportunities.”
Latha Chandran, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., executive dean for education and policy and a professor of medical education and pediatrics at the Miller School, said donor support helps the school revolutionize the way future physicians are educated, making its graduates among the most sought after in the nation.
“Our medical education team is a dynamic and dedicated group that is committed to producing the nation’s best and most compassionate physicians,” said Dr. Chandran, also founding chair and Bernard J. Fogel Chair in Medical Education at the Miller School. “Thanks to the support of all of our donors, our scholars can fulfill their dreams to serve our communities as healers and health care leaders.”
Dean Ford also thanked Swanee DiMare, who established the DiMare Scholarship with her late husband, Paul J. DiMare, a longtime University of Miami trustee and benefactor.
“Your transformative $6 million gift for medical student scholarships, the largest in our school’s history, ensures that the most talented future physicians can pursue their dreams unburdened by financial constraints,” Dean Ford said.
Other donors who attended the celebration included:
• Jerilynn and Marc Gidney, who are co-directors and co-trustees of the Mrs. Betty Siegel Reader Scholarship, along with their daughter, Candice Gidney, and her husband, co-trustee Jonathan Macy.
• Tatiana Lawer-Garcia, M.D. ’96, and Nelson Garcia, MD ’96, former co-presidents of the Miller School Medical Parents Association and members of the Medical Parents Council, who established The Dr. and Mrs. Nelson Garcia-Morales Endowed Medical Scholarship.
• Sheri Hamersley, M.D. ’90, and Frank Czerwiec, M.D. ’90, current co-presidents of the Medical Parents Council, who endowed the Bernard J. Fogel, M.D. ’61, Memorial Scholarship.
• Francisco Flores, M.D. ’95, who established the Francisco Flores, M.D., Endowed Scholarship.
• Javier and Elsy Carbot-Flores, both M.D. ’95, who established the Javier Flores, M.D., and Elsy Carbot Flores, M.D., Endowed Scholarship.
• Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Chair Aldo Busot, John Edward Smith and Laura Russo. The foundation’s decades-long support of the Miller School has included scholarships, the school health initiative in the Department of Pediatrics, the establishment of the Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute and the naming of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics.
• Kyle Sygall, representing his parents, Paul Sygall, B.S. ‘92, M.D. ‘95, and Stacy Sygall, who established the Sygall Family Endowed Medical Scholarship.
• The Rotary Club of Miami’s Phillip Seipp, Robbin Shelly and Diane Landsberg. The Rotary has funded the Thomas Brown McClelland Scholarship for more than 30 years.
• Jose Garcia, M.D. ’87, chief executive officer of American Care Medical Centers, established the Jose E. Garcia, M.D. ’87, Alzheimer’s Research Fund that supports young investigators focused on Alzheimer’s disease research at the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics. He attended with his son, Jose Pablo Garcia, M.D., assistant professor of clinical rheumatology and immunology at the Miller School.
Their collective impact is clear: fewer barriers, more dreams realized and a future shaped by physicians who lead with skill and compassion.
For more information on supporting medical scholars, email Rachel Cameau.
Tags: Dean Henri Ford, Dr. Latha Chandran, medical education, Medical Education Donors and Scholars Luncheon, medical students, scholarships