Higher Ed Spotlight: Grandmother Inspires EVMS Student to Pursue Medicine

Growing up, Jason Bard accompanied his grandmother to free health clinics to interpret for her, as well as other patients from their community. His grandmother, who was from China, didn’t speak English and didn’t have health insurance.

“That really opened my eyes to experiences that immigrants can face in the U.S. health system,” says Jayson, a first-year medical student at Eastern Virginia Medical School and recipient of the full-tuition Dorothy M. Middleton Memorial  Scholarship.

Jason credits his beloved grandmother as one of the inspirations behind his desire to study medicine. He also says he was shaped by his experiences with the deaf community — both of his parents are deaf — and as an LGBTQ+ advocate.

“I’ve done a lot of mentoring,” he says. “I’ve had friends who were kicked out of their homes. It’s important to have safe environments to discuss those concerns.”

I enjoyed interviewing Jason earlier this year for an article in EVMS Magazine and also learning more about the namesake of the scholarship he received. Read the full article here.