Dr. Burr Field Scholarship Fund announces February 2023 recipients

Contact: Christy Olsen Field

February 6, 2023

The Dr. Burr Field Scholarship Fund is proud to announce its scholarship recipients: Oksana Klimenko, Justin Seymour, and Bailey Simon from the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane; and Jordan Holmes and Zachary Parker from the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Yakima, Wash.

The Dr. Burr Field Scholarship supports students in their fourth year of medical school studies as they prepare for careers in family medicine in rural Eastern Washington.

“This year’s group of applicants was exceptional, and the board was unanimous in awarding scholarships to these five medical students. Each scholarship recipient has connections in rural eastern Washington, and they have witnessed the positive impact of rural family medicine physicians can have in their community,” said Carl Field, Board President of the Dr. Burr Field Scholarship Fund.

“With the generosity of our supporters, we awarded $5,000 scholarships this year. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Field family, it is truly an honor to support these students as they prepare to launch their careers in family medicine in rural Eastern Washington,” he added.

Oksana Klimenko is from Brier, Wash., with family connections in Eastern Washington. “The relationships I established with my patients on my Family Medicine rotation in Chelan made me fall in love with it,” she said.

Justin Seymour is from Walla Walla, Wash. He said: “As a fourth-year medical student, I had the opportunity to spend a month-long rotation with Palouse Medical in Pullman... Learning alongside a well-functioning team that prioritizes their patients gave me a preview of the joys of practicing family medicine in Eastern Washington.”

Zachary Parker is from Yakima, Wash. “During my outpatient internal medicine rotation, I was blown away by the relationships the physician had built with his patients and the compassion he showed them. It modeled the type of physician I want to be: one who appreciates the science of medicine but recognizes it as secondary to the person in front of him,” he said.

Bailey Simon is from Walla Walla, Wash. She writes: “Teaming up with patients to achieve their health goals or support them through challenges is very rewarding.”

To learn more about this year’s scholarship recipients, visit drburrfield.org/scholarship.

About the Dr. Burr Field Scholarship Fund

Dr. Burr Field (1951-2015) spent his 36-year career as a family medicine physician in Prosser, Wash., where he was deeply committed to providing compassionate, high quality health care for the community. In 2015, the Field family and friends established the Dr. Burr Field Scholarship Fund to carry on his legacy and support the next generation of health care providers in rural Eastern Washington.

For more information, visit drburrfield.org or facebook.com/drburrfield, or write to Dr. Burr Field Scholarship Fund, PO Box 1655, Prosser, WA 99350.