Pictured: Carrie Ip, MD Class of 2020. Amanda Shell photo.
Carrie Ip’s goal is to practice primary care on the Big Island.
By Tina Shelton, UH Med Now, JABSOM Communications Director.
University of Hawaiʻi medical student Carrie Ip, a native of Keaʻau on Hawaiʻi Island, has been awarded a prestigious the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship. Ip entered the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) through the ʻImi Hoʻōla Post-Baccalaureate Program in 2014-2015. She will be graduating from JABSOM in 2020 and plans to complete her training as a primary care physician and return to her home community on Hawaiʻi Island.
The scholarship she won, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Bureau of Health Workforce, is very competitive. In 2016, only 205 scholarships were awarded from a pool of 2,275 candidates. The NHSC scholarship pays tuition, fees, other educational costs, and provides a living stipend in return for a commitment to work at least two years at an NHSC-approved site in a medically underserved community.
Ip is a 2011 graduate of Waiākea High School in Hilo, and received her degree in Biology (with a minor in Chemistry and English) from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
She says she was motivated to study medicine by witnessing how those from different social or economic backgrounds — or sometimes entire communities — suffer from a lack of routine access to health care.
“Growing up, I have realized how important primary care is from a preventative standpoint. and I would like to have a part in the continuous care of my future patients,” said Ip. “Many of my family and friends have been affected by the lack of access to healthcare and resources — not having a Primary Care Physician or having to fly to and from Honolulu or the U.S. Mainland to receive adequate care. I believe they deserve better and I would like to give back to a community that I love and call home.”
She also was inpired by her love for both the sciences and community service. “I would like to give back to my home community,” said Ip. “I am lucky to have so many great influences and mentors in my life, and my family and loved ones are my biggest supporters and the ones who inspire me to succeed in medical school.” Carrie’s parents are Amy and Teddy Ip of Keaʻau.
Financial support through scholarships or awards also has made a critical difference in Ip’s life.
“I would not be where I am today without (it),” she said. “Because of the financial support, I am able to focus on my studies without having to worry about how I am going to pay for rent, food, or other necessities.”
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