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Andrew Ortega Awarded the Amy & John L. Hummer Scholarship

The Southwest Foundation for Osteopathic Education & Research (SWFOER) has awarded BCOM medical student Andrew Ortega, a member of the class of 2020, the Amy & John L. Hummer Scholarship in honor of Lloyd M. Hummer, MD.

The scholarship was established by the Hummers in 2017 in honor of John’s father, Lloyd M. Hummer, MD. “My father has been a lifelong inspiration to me. He overcame hardships and persevered to become a well-respected physician and leader. I could not think of anyone better to honor with the name of our scholarship,” John said.

Dr. Lloyd M. Hummer was born and raised on a small farm in the panhandle of Oklahoma. He received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma where he also completed his residency in internal medicine, serving as chief resident. He was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha. Following his residency, he was stationed in Germany as a captain in United States Army. Following his service, he joined the Wichita Clinic, in Wichita, Kansas, where he enjoyed a 35-year career.

In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Hummer served as the clinic’s medical director, as a member of its Board of Directors, and as president. When he joined the clinic in 1965, it had approximately 25 physicians. Upon his retirement, the clinic had grown to over 200 physicians at multiple sites and in all specialties.

Dr. Hummer was also an active instructor with the University of Kansas Medical School, Wichita Branch. Medical ethics was Dr. Hummer’s passion. Upon his retirement, the son of a patient whom Hummer treated, funded a medical ethics lecture series in Dr. Hummer’s name. Dr. Hummer also inspired his children to pursue careers in healthcare. One of his daughters is a physician, another daughter is a registered nurse, and his two sons both have careers in hospital administration and medical education.

The scholarship is open to students who have completed the first year of medical school at BCOM with an average cumulative grade of at least 80 percent. Applicants are required to write a short essay and provide a list of all charitable, community, and volunteer projects they’ve been involved with since starting college.

Recipients can use the annual award, which is renewable each year until graduation, to cover tuition, books, room and board, and other such expenses as approved by the scholarship committee. In honor of Dr. Hummer who was raised during the Dust Bowl and had to overcome financial hurdles to accomplish his goals, it was important to the Hummers that this scholarship help other future physicians who may be facing similar struggles.

“We recognize the challenge that many face in funding their medical education and we wanted to do our small part in creating an opportunity for an individual who not only is performing well academically, but also committed to BCOM’s regional mission,” they said. “It is our hope that our giving will encourage and inspire others to donate to the Southwest Foundation for Osteopathic Education and Research.”

The SWFOER Board of Directors scholarship committee reviewed the first batch of applicants based on academic achievement, community service, personal integrity, financial need, and character. Each board member narrowed down their top candidates; all three selected Andrew Ortega.

“We had an outstanding group of BCOM students apply for this scholarship,” said SWFOER Chair Bill Baker, DO. “Our scholarship selection committee, comprised of myself, Attorney William Lutz, and Dr. Guillermo Hernandez, spent many hours collectively reviewing each applicant’s statements. Andrew Ortega represents what we believe the Hummer family would want to best exemplify in a BCOM student.”

A native of the Southwest region of the United States, Ortega plans to stay in the area after graduation to practice medicine. In a personal statement, he explained how he hopes to contribute to his home community and, in a roundabout way, pay back the scholarship money he receives:

“My dream in life has always been to give back to the community that has given me so much growing up. My main goal in doing so, is to provide outstanding treatment for patients in my community that face challenges in obtaining quality care.

I was born in in El Paso, Texas, then moved to Houston, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and back to El Paso. The health disparities between the two countries is appalling and, through those experiences, I feel it is my personal responsibility to help the best I can.

The healthcare issues that our country faces are unfortunately for the most part out of our control. What is in our control however, is how we can contribute as individuals to our communities and to the people. I want to contribute by doing my part which will consist of providing readily accessible medical treatment and providing excellent medical care to my patients. While it is difficult to change the world as a whole, we certainly all have the power to change someone’s world, and that is exactly what I plan on doing by serving people in the Southwest Borderland area and from all walks of life.

This scholarship will definitely help defer some cost during my tenure at BCOM. With those savings, I will be able to apply them in the future to help create and establish medical services that would be free for patients here and abroad, especially to include those who are homeless and low income.”

BCOM students interested in applying for this and other scholarship opportunities should contact:

Marlene Melendez, Director of Financial Aid
mmelendez@burrell.edu