Lauren Johnson PA '21 has been selected for a highly competitive National Health Service Corps scholarship.
Lauren Johnson, a member of the Physician Assistant Studies program’s Class of 2021, has been selected for a highly competitive National Health Corps scholarship.
Johnson is a 2018 graduate from Liberty University with a bachelor of science degree in public health and minors in biology and health promotion. Her dedication to working with underserved communities began with medical mission trips to Guatemala and Haiti. Through her recent work as a CNA in rural Virginia, she saw first-hand the challenges for people with limited access to health care.
Citing the Elon PA program’s commitment to preparing primary care PAs to serve in medically underserved areas, Johnson saw an alignment with her professional goals. “I knew that this program would prepare me for exactly what I feel called to do,” Johnson said. Once she graduates, she “is excited to strive to make a difference in underserved areas of the state of North Carolina where I grew up.”
She joins five Elon alumni who are recipients of the NHSC scholarship program who are currently serving as PAs in health professional shortage areas across the United States.
The NHSC is a Federal government program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health Workforce that since 1972 has been placing primary health care providers in areas of the United States with limited access to care. The program pays students’ tuition, books, and other costs, and provides a living stipend, while students train to become a primary care provider. In exchange, graduates commit to serving for at least two years at an NHSC site within in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).