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Zuri Willliams named winner of Sarah Lougen Fraser, MD, Alumni Scholarship

Zuri Williams, a Cincinnati native who is currently a second-year medical student at Upstate, has been selected as recipient of the Sarah Loguen Fraser, MD, Alumni Scholarship.

The scholarship is named for the first African-American woman to graduate from what is now Upstate Medical University's Alan and Marlene Norton College of Medicine and the fourth African-American woman physician in the United States. The award honors a student who genuinely desires to provide service to medically under-served and demonstrated leadership qualities and willingness to give of themselves.

Williams said her interest in pursuing a career in medicine stems from many issues, including the high maternal mortality rate for Black women as well as troubling episodes in medicine, such as the Mississippi Appendectomies and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study that highlight racial injustice and exploitation.

As an undergraduate at Hampton University, Williams did everything everywhere, including service as an officer of the Minority Association of Premedical Students and as student representative to board of trustees.

Williams has continued her larger-than-life extracurricular service at Upstate. As the immediate past president of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) at Upstate, Williams revitalized and expanded the organization’s efforts in mentorship by creating the inaugural SNMA Family Groups, which connected students with a doctor and resident mentor to guide them through various stages of their medical journey—from master's programs to applying for residency.

Additionally, she has help organize events like hosting nearly 200 GEARUP 8th-grade students from the Syracuse area, where she coordinated a panel of diverse medical professionals and provided early exposure to medicine through hands-on activities.

She has also volunteered in multiple health-related initiatives, such as taking blood pressure readings in the community, assisting pregnant women at Crouse Hospital, and educating students at Binghamton University about the dangers of improper medication storage and disposal.

Upon earning her medical degree, Williams will do more of what she’s done in school, just like Dr Sarah Loguen Fraser: uplift her patients in the underserved communities.

Caption: Zuri Williams, center, is announced as the Sarah Loguen Fraser, MD, Alumni Scholarship recipient. Participating in the announcement are K. Bruce Simmons, MD, member of the Medical Alumni Board of Directors, and Nakeia Chambers, MSEd, director of Access Programs & Student Inclusion.

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