R.A. Moorer and C.C. Belcher Endowed Loan Fund in Primary Care Medicine

Mr. R. Erle Moorer has generously given gifts to establish an endowed loan fund to ultimately help attract and retain quality, compassionate primary care providers to help underserved rural communities in the River Region and rural populations of Alabama. With four years of medical service to a rural community, any loaned funds will be forgiven. The donors wish that this endowed fund supports UAB medical students who are Alabama residents with demonstrated financial need and a commitment to serving Alabama’s rural population.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants for the R.A. Moorer and C.C. Belcher Endowed Loan Fund in Primary Care Medicine must be a rising third-year student at the School of Medicine’s Montgomery Regional Campus.
• Applicants must be legal residents of Alabama.
• Applicants must have demonstrated financial need as determined by the School of Medicine’s Admissions Office. Need is determined based on student completion of the FASFA in Financial Aid (Expected Family Contribution—EFC).
• Applicants must demonstrate a willingness to practice primary care medicine in rural Alabama for four (4) years after completing residency.
• First preference will be given to applicants from Butler County, Alabama, or Montgomery County, Alabama, and second preference will be given to applicants from other rural counties in Alabama (rural, as defined by the State of Alabama).

Applications

The application period for the R.A. Moorer and C.C. Belcher Endowed Loan Fund in Primary Care Medicine is March 2 – May 1. Applications will close at midnight on May 1, and no late applications will be accepted. The recipient will be notified via email by August 1.

By your action of submitting the online application, you are granting permission for this application to be shared with the R.A. Moorer and C.C. Belcher Endowed Loan Fund in Primary Care Medicine Review team and the School of Medicine Scholarship Committee and, if you are selected, for the School of Medicine to issue a news release.

Apply

Stipulations

This is an annual loan award for the third year of medical school, renewable for the fourth year as long as the recipient continues to meet the criteria as determined by the School of Medicine and its Scholarship Committee. This annual loan award will be applied toward the recipient’s tuition. The total award will be applied in equal amounts over the standard terms of the award year. Recipients are eligible to receive other forms of student financial aid for the total cost of attendance for which they may qualify.

Repayment

This loan will be considered forgiven and canceled if the recipient practices primary care medicine, immediately after completion of a residency program, in an area of Alabama that serves rural residents for a period of at least four (4) consecutive years. Otherwise, the following loan repayment and collection procedures outlined below will apply:

• The finance charge will be based on any unpaid balance. It will begin to accrue to any amount immediately after such amount is allocated as payment for the recipient’s expenses unless the recipient is currently enrolled in the Heersink School of Medicine program in Montgomery, completing a residency, or practicing primary care medicine in Alabama.
• If the recipient drops out of school, fails to register for two consecutive academic terms, or is not practicing primary care medicine in central Alabama, all amounts loaned under the program plus the applicable finance charge, which will be retroactive to the original disbursement date, will become due and payable immediately.
• Repayment of the loan will begin 12 months following the completion of medical school and a residency program or immediately upon dropping out of (or failing to register for two consecutive terms in) medical school at UAB and residency program, whichever is earlier.
• The minimum monthly payment shall be an amount sufficient to repay the total debt (principal plus interest) within 48 months.
• A loan shall be deemed to be “past due” when any payment is more than 30 days overdue, “delinquent” when any payment is more than 90 days overdue; and “in default” when those payments are more than 120 days overdue. Collection proceedings will be initiated whenever any loan payment becomes “delinquent”.
• The loan recipient must complete a loan deferment form and include a letter from the State Board of Medical Examiners certifying their place and length of employment to document that the recipient is engaged in a job that qualifies for loan cancellation. The Dean’s appointed committee must approve the loan deferment form and forwarded it to the Office of Student Accounting Services to defer interest and principal payments.
• Upon completion of the four (4) consecutive years of service required to cancel the loan, the loan recipient must complete a loan cancellation form and include a letter from the State Board of Medical Examiners certifying their place and employment length document eligibility for loan cancellation. The Dean’s appointed committee must approve the loan cancellation form and forwarded it to the Office of Student Accounting Services to cancel the loan.

Wilson Primary Care Medical Loan Fund

Generous gifts from Mr. James W. Wilson III were used to establish a loan fund to assist a deserving UAB medical student who must intend to practice primary care medicine in central Alabama. Preference will be given, but not limited to applicants who plan to practice in Macon County, Alabama. The recipient(s) will be known as the Wilson Primary Care Medical Scholar(s).

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants for the Wilson Primary Care Medical Loan Fund must be entering first-year students admitted to the Heersink School of Medicine with a campus assignment of Montgomery.
• Applicants must be legal residents of Alabama.
• Applicants must demonstrate solid academic promise and have earned at least an overall 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average in undergraduate studies or in any post-baccalaureate course work completed prior to the time of application.
• Applicants must intend to practice primary care medicine in central Alabama for a period of five (5) consecutive years after completing residency. Preference will be given, but not limited, to those applicants planning to practice in Macon County, Alabama, specifically.
• Central Alabama counties include: Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, St. Clair, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston.

Applications

The application period for the Wilson Primary Care Medical Loan Fund Medicine is March 2 – May 1. Applications will close at midnight on May 1, and no late applications will be accepted. The recipient will be notified via email by August 1.

By your action of submitting the online application, you are granting permission for this application to be shared with the Heersink School of Medicine Scholarship Committee and, if you are selected, for the School of Medicine to issue a news release.

Apply

Stipulations

This is an annual loan award, renewable for subsequent years as long as the recipient continues to meet the criteria determined by the School of Medicine and its Scholarship Committee. There will be one loan award of $25,000 made each year to an outstanding medical student with the intent to practice primary care medicine in central Alabama upon completion of his or her residency training. This annual loan award will be applied toward the recipient’s tuition and fees. The total award will be applied in equal amounts over the standard terms of the award year. Any loan funds in excess of the amount required for tuition and fees may be disbursed to the recipient for books, supplies, room and board, or other school-related expenses. Recipients are eligible to receive other forms of student financial aid for the total cost of attendance for which they may qualify.

Repayment

This loan will be considered forgiven and canceled if the recipient practices primary care medicine, immediately after completion of a residency program, in central Alabama for a period of at least five (5) consecutive years. Otherwise, the following loan repayment and collection procedures outlined below will apply:

• A finance charge of 6 percent per year will be based on any unpaid balance. It will begin to accrue to any amount immediately after such amount is allocated as payment for the recipient’s expenses. Unless the recipient is currently enrolled in the Heersink School of Medicine Montgomery campus, completing a residency, or practicing primary care medicine in central Alabama. The finance charge will be reviewed periodically to ensure that it is competitive with the current market average.
• If the recipient drops out of school, fails to register for two consecutive academic terms, or is not practicing primary care medicine in central Alabama, all amounts loaned under the program plus the applicable finance charge, which will be retroactive to the original disbursement date, will become due and payable immediately.
• Repayment of the loan will begin 12 months following the completion of medical school and a residency program or immediately upon dropping out of (or failing to register for two consecutive terms in) medical school at UAB and residency program, whichever is earlier.
• The minimum monthly payment shall be an amount sufficient to repay the total debt (principal plus interest) within 60 months.
• A loan shall be deemed to be “past due” when any payment is more than 30 days overdue; “delinquent” when any payment is more than 90 days overdue; and “in default” when those payments are more than 120 days overdue. Collection proceedings will be initiated whenever any loan payment becomes “delinquent”.
• The loan recipient must complete a loan deferment form and include a letter from the State Board of Medical Examiners certifying their place and length of employment to document that the recipient is engaged in employment that qualifies for loan cancellation. The Dean’s appointed committee must approve the loan deferment form and forwarded it to the Office of Student Accounting Services to defer interest and principal payments.
• Upon completion of the five (5) consecutive years of service required to cancel the loan, the loan recipient must complete a loan cancellation form and include a letter from the State Board of Medical Examiners certifying their place and employment length document eligibility for loan cancellation. The Dean’s appointed committee must approve the loan cancellation form and forwarded to the Office of Student Accounting Services to cancel the loan.