Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama has awarded Eva resident, Jennifer Lamar, a scholarship to the UAB School of Medicine. Lamar is one of 11 UAB medical students selected to receive this scholarship. As a condition of these scholarships, the recipients agreed to practice as primary care or behavioral health physicians in underserved areas of Alabama after graduation.

“Congratulations to each of these outstanding medical students who were selected for this scholarship,” said Tim Vines, President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. “I applaud each of them for wanting to make a positive impact in Alabama by providing the quality healthcare needed in many of the underserved areas of our state.”

The majority of Alabama’s counties do not have enough primary care and behavioral health physicians. To help meet this need, Blue Cross is investing in the future of its Primary Care Physician Network by making available $3.6 million in scholarships, over a five-year period, to UAB. Following their residency, the students who benefit from this program will practice for a minimum of three years in one of Alabama’s medically underserved counties, or a city with fewer than 50,000 residents.