The UNM PA Program scholarship fund came into being in 1998 - 1999 through the efforts of the NMAPA. At that time when the UNM PA Program was in its toddler stage, the NMAPA board established the fund with the University of New Mexico office of Development. UNM holds and oversees investment of the fund, takes in contributions, and releases money for scholarships. UNM’s management of the fund is quite beneficial to NMAPA because it provides charitable organization status so that contributors can get a tax deduction for their donation. There’s no charge to NMAPA for UNM’s management. The main qualification to make the fund permanent, (IE, to “endow” it) was that NMAPA had to raise $10,000. Please note that when the fund was established, it was solely dedicated to the UNM PA Program and its students. There were no other PA programs in existence in NM at that time. The fund can make awards only to UNM PA Program students now and in the future. NMAPA named the fund the “Robert A. Norton, PA-C Scholarship Fund” in honor of Bob Norton, a pioneering PA who came to NM in the early ’70s, worked in many rural areas, battled for enabling legislation for PA practice and prescriptive privileges, and helped found of the UNM PA Program. Bob moved to Albuquerque in the ’80s due to kidney failure. In the early ’90s he had a kidney transplant but remained active providing medical care through Healthcare for the Homeless. Bob was awarded the AAPA Inner City PA of the Year award in 1995. Bob died in 1998. The next year, NMAPA bestowed its highest honor on Bob by making him the first recipient, posthumously, of the NMAPA Lifetime Achievement award. Bob’s daughter, Shaley O’Brien-Norton, PA-C accepted the award for her father in a moving ceremony at the fall CME conference. By the way, Bob and Shaley were the first father-daughter PA combination in the nation.

Soliciting donations to the fund began in earnest in 1999. In addition to the amount donated by NMAPA, many PAs in the state made individual contributions of $25 — $500. There is a list of charter donors on the plaques in the hallway of the PA program. Ernie Gonzales, PA-C made the single largest individual donation in 2000 when he was honored by AAPA with the “Rural PA of the Year” award. He donated $2500 of his award to the scholarship. Several heathcare institutions also donated to the fund including Lovelace and Presbyterian Healthcare Systems. Thanks to all of the contributions, the fund reached the permanent $10,000 endowment level in late 1999. One of the UNM Foundation officers said that it was the fastest endowment of any fund at UNM he had ever seen. There is currently approximately $20,000 in the fund.

The purpose of the fund is to financially assist students of the UNM PA program. The main criteria for the award are: 1) financial need (we assume all students are financially needy), 2) the student’s expressed interest in working in a rural or underserved area upon graduation, 3) the student’s participation in activities during their time in school which supports the PA Program, the School of Medicine and NMAPA activities. One or two awards of $500 are given per year to a senior PA student. The amount disbursed depends in large degree on the total amount in the fund and how its investments have done that year. Senior students are solicited to apply for the award in the spring of their senior year. The PA program faculty does not choose the scholarship recipient. Rather, an independent panel of scholarship donor-PAs reviews all nominations and selects the recipient. The recipient’s name is announced at graduation ceremonies in August.

UNM PA Program students who have received the award include:

Class of ‘00: Palmar Ortmann and David Pacheco

Class of ‘01: Heather Draeger and Dean Showalter

Class of ‘02: Francisco Ronquillo

Class of ‘03: Kathy Johnson and Omar Jan

Class of ’04: Heather Dountas and Yvonne Ellington

Class of ‘05: Nick Armano and Thai Verzone

Upon graduation, the UNM PA classes of ‘03 and ’04 both made a contribution to the funds from monies they raised as a class.

Neal O’Callaghan, PA-C

Scholarship Fund chair

Thank You Letters from Students

From Heather Dountas, UNM PA Class of 2004

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation of the honor you bestowed upon me by awarding me one of the Robert Norton Scholarships. Mr. Norton was an inspiration to all PAs and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn more about his achievements at the National PA Day celebration at the New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Center in October of 2003. I am grateful to receive such recognition and will continue to support the achievements of such great PAs. Thank you! July 27, 2004

From S. Yvonne Ellington, UNM PA Class of 2004

I would like to extend my heartfelt “thank you” to the panel who selected me to receive the Robert A. Norton, PA-C Scholarship along with my classmate and friend, Heather Dountas. I am certain that making a decision among the qualified candidates was a challenge for the panel, and I am deeply honored to have been selected. I also extend my thanks to the UNM School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program staff and to the preceptors who so generously share their time and knowledge with PA students during continuity clinic and clinical clerkships. Thank you all very much!