Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation Scholarships Help Prepare the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals
Sixty-nine local students recently gathered through a virtual ceremony, via Zoom, to celebrate their accomplishment of receiving a scholarship from the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation. The Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation was founded by Dr. Prem Reddy, Prime Healthcare Chairman, President and CEO, and his family in 1994. Since then, the foundation, in addition to other philanthropic endeavors, has awarded over $1.2 million in academic scholarships. The program is available to all high school and college students living in the High Desert and Inland Empire of Southern California pursuing a career in healthcare. Among the list of well-deserving applicants this year, Nabil Assal was the scholarship recipient keynote speaker. An immigrant from Morocco, Nabil, grew up in poverty with no electricity or running water. As a small child, his job was to take a wheelbarrow full of buckets to the town tap to fill them with water. Nabil has faced and overcome many challenges in his life through persistence and determination. He moved to the United States, where he attended a community college, and in 2018 Nabil was accepted to UC Riverside, where he will graduate with a B.S degree in Neuroscience. Ultimately, Nabil would like to be a neurosurgeon and volunteer with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders. u201cI am an example of someone who was never expected to amount to anything, but through hard work, I am the first person in my family to go to college,u201d said Nabil. During the virtual ceremony Sunitha Reddy, daughter of Drs. Prem and Venkamma Reddy and a director of the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation, noted that all backgrounds and experiences of the recipients were unique. u201cThere is a common thread that should be celebrated; a relentless commitment to healthcare and a sincere desire to help others. In the midst of this unprecedented global pandemic, healthcare workers are on the front line selflessly caring for patients all around the world,u201d said Reddy. u201cThose receiving awards have a passion to put others before themselves and a sincere desire to make lives better.u201d Reddy, who also serves as Vice President of Operations for Prime Healthcare, had the opportunity to review every applicantu2019s personal story, and added she was honored to support their dreams and future in medicine. During the virtual ceremony, keynote speakers included Dr. Venkamma Reddy, co-founder of the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation, and Fred Hunter, CEO of Desert Valley Hospital and Desert Valley Medical Group. Honorary speakers included Dr. Paul Lyons, Dean and President of the California University of Science and Medicine and Dr. Imran Siddiqui, Medical Director of Desert Valley Medical Group. Fred Hunter, CEO of Desert Valley Hospital and Desert Valley Medical Group, also shared words of encouragement that even though there can always be obstacles in the way of our dreams, there are ways to overcome them. Mr. Hunter further emphasized, u201cThis is why the scholarship program exists.u201d For more information about the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation or Desert Valley Hospital, please contact Eddie Hernandez at EddieHernandez@primehealthcare.com. About Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation The Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation has donated millions to charities supporting healthcare and education- locally, nationally and globally. On a local level, millions of dollars have gone towards educational grants, scholarships and building libraries. National causes include supporting free community clinics and causes such as the March of Dimes. On a global level, the foundation supports organizations such as Samaritanu2019s Purse by donating equipment used in clinics across poverty stricken regions around the world. The foundation also funds clean water initiatives, childhood vaccinations programs, educational grants, new medical clinics and medical missions to treat blindness with free cataract removal surgeries or pediatric congenital heart defects.
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