2005 PISACANO SCHOLARS ====================== The Pisacano Leadership Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), recently selected its 2005 Pisacano Scholars. These 5 medical students follow in the footsteps of 53 scholar alumni who are practicing physicians and 13 current scholars who are enrolled in family medicine residency programs across the country. The Pisacano Leadership Foundation was created in 1990 by the ABFM in tribute to its founder and first Executive Director, Nicholas J. Pisacano, MD (1924–1990). Each Pisacano Scholar has demonstrated the highest level of leadership, academic achievement, communication skills, community service, and character and integrity. **Bridget Harrison**, a 2005 Pisacano Scholar, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF). She is also completing her masters in public health at the University of California, Berkeley. Bridget graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science in physics from the College of William and Mary. At William and Mary, she was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board and ODK Honor Societies. Bridget was one of 20 students chosen nationally for the *USA Today* College All-Academic First Team. After graduating from William and Mary, Bridget taught middle and high school math and science to underserved students for 3 years. While teaching, she restarted and advised a chapter of the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) for underrepresented students and coached students to multiple awards at annual MESA fairs. As a medical student, Bridget has continued her academic excellence and community service. She served as copresident of the UCSF chapter of the American Medical Student Association and helped organize events in support of universal health insurance. She also codesigned and cocoordinated a new health policy elective course at UCSF. During her family medicine clerkship, Bridget codeveloped a community project that involved visiting physicians’ offices, completing mailings to county physicians, walking precincts, and writing op-ed and letter-to-editor pieces in support of “Measure Q”. “Measure Q” was a local ballot proposal to raise money for the county’s financially ailing sole public hospital, which serves an underserved agricultural field worker population. Bridget plans to practice family medicine in a public clinic in an urban underserved community and hopes to incorporate health policy advocacy and international volunteer work into her career. **Kristen Kelly**, a 2005 Pisacano Scholar, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She received a fellowship from the University of California Berkeley to complete her master’s in public health over the past year. Kristen graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a double major in Spanish and Middle East Studies. As a Virginia Scholar, she received a 4-year scholarship from the State of Virginia based on demonstrated academics and leadership during high school. She was named an Echols Scholar, an award given to approximately 8.5% of the incoming class. Following graduation from Virginia, Kristen worked for 2 years as a business analyst and associate consultant for a consulting group in Washington, DC. She then took a leave of absence for 3 months to volunteer at an orphanage in Honduras, taking care of disabled children. Kristen decided to extend her stay in Honduras, where she eventually took on the job of Administrative Director for a year until the orphanage could find a permanent administrator. Kristen has continued her academic achievements and community service as a medical student. She has received a number of scholarships, including a Dean’s Scholarship from UCSF. She spent 6 months of her third year participating in “Model Fresno,” a UCSF core clinical training program that emphasizes primary care, working with medically underserved and ethnically diverse populations, and community health. She focused on community health during her MPH program, and concurrently worked to improve teaching about community health in the family medicine third-year clerkship at UCSF. Kristen plans to practice as a family physician in a community setting with underserved groups. **Lenny Lesser**, a 2005 Pisacano Scholar, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He graduated with honors from Cornell University with a bachelor of science in nutritional sciences. Lenny was also a member of the National Honor Society of Collegiate Scholars, Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society, and the Mortar Board Senior Honor Society. He was a member of the honors program with the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell, where he developed a research project studying the factors infl uencing freshmen’s increase or decrease of physical activity in comparison to high school. He later presented his thesis at a meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. At Rochester, Lenny has continued his academic excellence, community service, and strong interest in nutritional research. As the coordinator for Community Health Activism on Obesity and Tobacco, Lenny created and coordinated a national “No Soda Day” to focus attention on the negative effects of sugared drinks, especially in schools. Following his first year of medical school, Lenny received an International Medicine Award allowing him to complete a summer intern-ship at a community health center in Australia which combined research and clinical experiences. Last year, he presented his findings at the AMSA Convention’s Poster Session. Following his second year of medical school, Lenny spent a year as a research fellow working with the Obesity Research Group at Children’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School. He has published several abstracts and articles, most related to the topic of improving public health through nutrition. Lenny hopes to have a career that combines practice, research, public policy and teaching. **John Raser**, a 2005 Pisacano Scholar, is a fourth-year medical student at Dartmouth Medical School (DMS). He graduated with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology from Dartmouth College. As a Tucker Fellow, John taught in a Dominican Republic public school, where in addition to his duties as a teacher, he conducted a fundraising effort among the local tourist companies to raise money to refurbish the town’s only baseball field. He was awarded the Aranowitz Prize for his exemplary work as a Tucker Fellow. Prior to entering medical school, John served a year with AmeriCorps, developing curriculum and running an after-school program at a middle school in Escondido, CA. He also spent 2 mornings a week shadowing family doctors and other primary care physicians at a local community health center. Since beginning medical school, John has continued his academic excellence and community service. He worked with his mentor, Dr. Peter Mason, as a member of the Dartmouth Community Service Council, as well as in a rural clinic in Honduras. In Honduras, John also worked with PROMESA, a joint public health outreach project between Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Zamorano University. Along with 2 other members of his class, John received an Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Student Project Award and an Upper Valley United Way Emerging Needs grant to fund the start-up of the Mascoma Valley Satellite of the Good Neighbor Health Clinic, a student-run clinic he helped launch in 2003. John looks forward to working in a community health center setting, where he will naturally be involved in outreach and advocacy as well as direct care of his patients. **David Rider**, a 2005 Pisacano Scholar, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). David graduated from Rice University with a double major in political science and public health policy analysis. He spent his summers during his undergraduate years leading small groups of American volunteer health workers in Latin America through an American public health non-governmental organization, Amigos de las Américas. Shortly after graduation from Rice, David was employed by the same agency to lead its public health and youth development projects in the Dominican Republic. Returning to his home town, David worked as a public health educator with the local health department and as a coordinator for health education for a managed care organization. In 2000 he returned to the Dominican Republic to continue his work with Amigos de las Américas. As a medical student, David worked to develop a peer education project at UTMB, organizing and training fellow medical students to provide HIV prevention education to high school students in Galveston. He has also volunteered for the past 3 years with St. Vincent’s Clinic, a student-run clinic treating indigent patients. Since this summer David has been directing the clinic along with 3 of his fellow classmates. Most recently, David was honored with a William Osler Student Scholarship from the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine, chosen by the academy’s faculty members in recognition of student leadership, professionalism, and incorporation of science and humanism in medicine. After residency, David plans to settle in central Texas and utilize his training as a family physician to directly contribute to the health of his patients and community. * © 2005 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.