Brown Medical Annual Fund
The Brown Medical Annual Fund (BMAF) provides critical current-use funds for scholarships and medical education. Fifty-five percent of all BMAF gifts go to current-year financial aid for medical students, while the remainder underwrites curriculum initiatives.
Peter Panton '79 MD'82
Peter Panton '79 MD'82 believes so strongly in the importance of the BMAF, he became its chair. Every year, Peter mobilizes donors to renew their giving to the BMAF and recruits new donors to join the list of supporters.
The August Zabbo MD’80 Term Scholarship
When August “Auggie” Zabbo MD’80 passed away in 2007, Brown lost not only a distinguished alumnus but a beloved member of the faculty. In 2010, with what would have been his 30th Reunion approaching, Auggie’s friends Tom DeNucci MD’80 HS’83 and Tony Caldamone ’72 MMS’75 MD’75 began working to establish a Brown Medical Annual Fund Term Scholarship in Auggie’s memory. They appealed to classmates, friends, and former students who wanted to honor Auggie while supporting medical education at Brown.
“His patients loved him. His residents loved him. I never heard anyone, classmate or colleague, say a bad thing about him,” Dr. DeNucci wrote. “Auggie needs to be remembered.”
The August Zabbo MD’80 Memorial Term Scholarship was announced during Reunion Weekend and, thanks to the overwhelming response, the Scholarship was able to fund two students. Michelle M. Gosselin MD’13, a medical student from Connecticut who intends to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery, and Raymond Serrano ’07 MD’11, a medical student from Brookklyn, NY. Raymond writes: “Scholarship support has meant a great deal to me and my family, and it has allowed me to focus on my studies without having to have a side job. In these tough economic times, the scholarship support has been especially significant and I am very appreciative.”
For Auggie’s friends and family, there was no more fitting way to pay tribute to a physician who was so dedicated to Brown and to medical education.
Term scholarships are a rewarding way to further connect donors with Alpert Medical School students. With a gift of $15,000 to the BMAF, donors can establish a named scholarship that is awarded to a medical student for a one-year term. In addition to receiving biographical information about the students awarded their scholarships, donors are invited to the annual scholarship dinner, where they have the opportunity to meet their students.