Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary Awards Scholarships

GREENSBURG, PA, June 18, 2023 … Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary honors high school and college students for their desire to pursue medical professions with scholarship assistance.  In 2023, the auxiliary presented six $2,500 scholarships during their recent scholarship luncheon, including two new awards in honor of auxiliary members.

           From Greensburg Central Catholic (GCC): 2023 graduate Elizabeth Dlugas, attending Bucknell University. Elizabeth is the inaugural recipient of the Jean Turnbull Scholarship, named for the auxiliary’s longtime Ways and Means Chair. Turnbull spent countless hours in the Westmoreland Hospital lobby overseeing various fundraising events, and worked closely with vendors, volunteers and hospital staff to ensure success.  Elizabeth was selected for this award based on her volunteerism and community service. At Bucknell, the daughter of Joseph and Jody Dlugos will be majoring in biology in preparation for the Physician Assistant program, inspired by her mother, who is a physician assistant with Excela Square Frick Family Medicine, an Independence Health System primary care practice, which also serves as one of three training sites for the health system’s Family Medicine Residency program.

          Among Elizabeth’s volunteer activities is a four-year stint as a student athletic training aid for GCC, where she accumulated more than 500 hours of service working alongside the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine athletic trainers at Independence Health System. She organized and facilitated American Red Cross blood drives at her school as well as participated in various campus ministry events, open houses and fundraisers. A member of Student Council, she supported various school mission projects to aid the homeless, food insecure, and those suffering from domestic violence. She is an altar server at Our Lady of Grace parish. Academically, she is a member of the Tri-M Music Honors Society, Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society, through which she also advanced her education and interests by volunteering at an elementary band/theater camp, science Olympiad and lecture series and tuturing.

            From Norwin: 2023 graduate Nicholas Cormas, who will attend the University of Virginia on the neuroscience/pre-med track. First in his graduating class of 337, Nicholas impressed the auxiliary’s scholarship committee with his description of the 80-plus hours of experience as a ride-along student with North Huntingdon EMS as well as other healthcare volunteer service and academic achievement. The son of Nick and Angela Cormas, Nicholas organized various schoolwide donation drives to benefit patients in the Norwin area who are receiving cancer care through UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at Excela Square at Norwin as well as several communitywide blood drives.  Having shadowed an Independence Health System internal medicine physician, Nicholas is founder and president of HOSA Future Health Professionals Norwin Chapter and a participant in the Carnegie Mellon University Neuroscience Mentorship program. 

          Nicholas is a shift leader at the HEAL Animal Rescue, and part of Global Scholars where he supported Ukrainian refugees through donations to UNICEF, assembled personal care kits for Global Link mission relief, and taught Spanish to elementary school-age children.  A self-employed piano teacher, he is a member of the worship team at Norwin Christian Church, and often volunteers as a pianist in area nursing homes.

          From Mount Pleasant Area: 2023 graduates Emma Fisher and Madison Rumbaugh.  Emma will be attending Westmoreland County Community College and the radiology technology program.  She is manager of the varsity swim team, secretary of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and active in church youth activities and neighborhood support of senior citizens among other projects. She is the recipient of both an Academic Excellence Award and Civic Knowledge Award from her school.

            Madison is headed to Chatham University where she is enrolled in a five-year integrated degree program to become a Physician Assistant. Madison’s school activities include Cheerleading, Spirit Club and National Honor Society.

            At the college level, Hanna Pavsek, a Saint Vincent College graduate, and Addisen Holt, from Ursuline College, are both headed to LECOM at Seton Hill to pursue medical degrees. Hanna is the recipient of the Jan Rupp Scholarship, given in memory of Rupp, president of the auxiliary who died in March 2022. Although she didn’t serve as the president for very long, Rupp was dedicated to the success of the many community programs the auxiliary supports. An educator herself prior to retirement, Rupp taught in the Bethel Park, Greensburg Salem and Jeannette City school districts. She recognized the importance of education and believed in providing opportunities to those individuals willing to make a commitment to academic excellence.

            In preparation for graduate studies Addisen has accumulated more than 100 hours of observation experience with physicians from the Cleveland Clinic, as well as time spent in Independence Health System facilities and continuing care nursing homes.

           The auxiliary established the scholarship program in the 1970s and awarded the first eight scholarships of $500 each.  The amount of the scholarship has continued to increase throughout the decades, as has the parameters for eligibility.  Funding for the scholarships comes from the auxiliary’s annual Christmas Auction and Spring Into Bingo events.

Photos:

WHA1: Receiving awards are (left to right) high school students Addisen Holt, Madison Rumbaugh, Emma Fisher and Nicholas Cormas.

WHA2: Serving as chair of the Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary (WHA) Scholarship Luncheon is Jennifer Kettering with Hanna Pavsek, recipient of the Jan Rupp Scholarship, Elizabeth Dlugas, recipient of the Jean Turnbull Scholarship and WHA President Jan Taylor-Condo.

Independence Health System offers patients nationally recognized quality care in cardiology, orthopedics, palliative care, and maternity as well as a broad range of surgical, medical, emergency, and behavioral health services, and an extensive network of primary care physicians. With five hospitals, nearly 1,000 healthcare providers and more than 7,000 employees, Independence Health System serves a 10-county region and is the largest employer in Butler and Westmoreland counties. 

Download PDF