Nancy Van Vessem, M.D. Memorial Scholarship

Overview:
A scholarship established to honor Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, an internist and chief medical officer at Capital Health Plan who dedicated over 20 years to improving healthcare in Tallahassee and the surrounding area. She was also an early faculty member at Florida State University College of Medicine.

Purpose:
To further Dr. Van Vessem's life's work of improving health care in the Tallahassee region and support medical students committed to primary care in the Panhandle.

Eligibility:

• Florida State University College of Medicine students
• Preference given to: Students who commit to residency training in:
  • General internal medicine, OR
  • Outpatient geriatrics
• Geographic commitment: Must plan to return to practice in Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Calhoun, Liberty, or Franklin counties

Background:
Dr. Nancy Van Vessem (1961-2018) was a passionate advocate for quality and affordable healthcare. She served as:

• Internist and Chief Medical Officer at Capital Health Plan
• Early faculty member at Florida State University College of Medicine
• One of the college's first clerkship directors in internal medicine

She was tragically killed in a shooting at a Tallahassee yoga studio in 2018.

First Recipient:
Jimmy Brown, FSU medical student from Hosford, Florida, was selected as the first recipient in 2021. He committed to internal medicine residency at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital with plans to practice primary care in the Panhandle.