Community donates $53,000 for nursing scholarships, grants

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Dr. Ian Thompson was a featured speaker at the luncheon.

A record $53,000 was raised May 17 to help aspiring nurses begin their education at the Health Science Center’s School of Nursing. About 300 community leaders gathered at Oak Hills Country Club to support scholarships for School of Nursing students and to hear a health seminar presented by one of the Health Science Center’s leading researchers, urologist Ian M. Thompson, M.D.

A portion of the $53,000 will provide research grants to School of Nursing faculty members. It is the largest amount raised from the 18 health seminars the School of Nursing has conducted for community members.

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President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., and Robin Froman, R.N., Ph.D., dean of the nursing school, visit with Former Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his daughter Janey Briscoe Marmion.

“Community leader Louise Beldon, outgoing chair of our School of Nursing Advisory Council, and Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa, president of the Health Science Center, spoke words of encouragement about the future of nursing,” said Robin Froman, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the School of Nursing. “Lyda Arevalo, a Ph.D. student in nursing, expressed her gratitude to community leaders. Lyda represented the more than 300 nursing scholarship recipients this year who have the Nursing Advisory Council, the San Antonio Livestock Exposition Inc., and many other generous donors to thank for a great assist to achieving a nursing career. That support is so essential, because we all know that our region, our state and our nation have a shortage of registered nurses.”

Dr. Froman said the research grant portion of the $53,000 is important because it encourages faculty development. “We have a dearth of faculty members in Texas and nationwide,” she said.

Dr. Thompson, who heads the SABOR Prostate Cancer Program at the Health Science Center, discussed the important of nurses to the SABOR research program. SABOR stands for San Antonio Center of Biomarkers of Risk for Prostate Cancer.



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