COM Student Lashawn Peña Awarded Prestigious Scholarships

By Office of the President | Nov 13, 2023

Lashawn Peña, the proud son of Dominican immigrants, is a dedicated second-year medical student who recently received a $10,000 scholarship from the collaborative effort of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the National Medical Fellowships (NMF) program. Chosen from a competitive pool of over 400 applicants, Lashawn is among the top ten inaugural recipients of this prestigious award. This alliance between NBME and NMF aims to bridge health disparities by fostering a more diverse healthcare workforce. The scholarship is renewable, offering sustained support for up to three years of Lashawn’s medical training.

In addition to this achievement, Lashawn was also honored with the 2023 Wayne Anthony Butts Scholarship from NMF, a $5,000 award recognizing his exceptional academic prowess, leadership, community service, and interest in urban healthcare.

 

Lashawn’s journey in medicine is profoundly personal and inspirational. As a first-generation college graduate and the son of hard-working Dominican immigrants, he has earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Hunter College and a master’s degree in immunology from Stanford University School of Medicine. Along with his love for reading and science, Lashawn’s drive to pursue medicine was ignited by a childhood incident where a doctor saved his sister’s life.

Beyond academics, Lashawn is passionately involved in community outreach, mentoring, and teaching. His activities range from tutoring students from diverse backgrounds, assisting in science and statistics classes, volunteering in trauma first aid courses, engaging with preschoolers in low-income areas, and even designing an educational course on immunology for middle school students. His summer stint as a Harvard Catalyst Visiting Research Intern, where he contributed to pancreatic cancer research, highlights his commitment to medical science.

At Downstate, Lashawn has actively participated in a mentorship program in collaboration with the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. With Lashawn’s help, his first-generation high school student mentee secured a full scholarship to Vanderbilt University.

Lashawn is currently focusing on a research project with the Kings Against Violence Initiative, investigating the interplay between family dynamics, child welfare services, and juvenile delinquency, further emphasizing his commitment to health equity, leadership, and advocacy.

Please join us in congratulating Lashawn on these significant achievements!