Family matters

Alumna, husband fund scholarship for medical students

Rosemarie Greyson-Fleg, M.D. (M.D.’80/M), credits Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine’s three-year program with jump-starting her career as a physician.

“It was great. I was an older student, and the possibility of doing a three-year program was very attractive to me,” said Greyson-Fleg, a diagnostic radiologist in Clarksville, Maryland. “Everything worked out really well. I was very grateful that I was given that chance at VCU.”

The three-year option is no longer offered, but the school’s accelerated degree program gave Greyson-Fleg the chance to rotate into internal medicine early, where she thrived. She ultimately made the decision to specialize in radiology, giving her more time with her family.

To express her gratitude, Greyson-Fleg and her husband, Jerry, established the Dr. Rosemarie T. Greyson-Fleg and Dr. Jerome Fleg Fund in 2013 through generous gifts of stock. The scholarship is part of the School of Medicine’s 1838 Campaign to help reduce medical student debt.

“My husband and I have supported scholarships at other institutions,” Greyson-Fleg said. “Now it’s my turn to give back to VCU.”

The scholarship – awarded for the first time in April to Nader Silver, a student at the VCU School of Medicine Inova Campus – supports a fourth-year student pursuing a career in the primary care fields of family medicine or pediatrics. Silver, who will start residency training in family medicine this summer, met Greyson-Fleg shortly after receiving the award.

“We had a nice time sharing thoughts about primary care,” Silver said. “Her son is a family medicine physician in New Mexico, and we had many similar interests. I hope to connect with him at some point. I look forward to keeping her posted over the years. I’m very thankful.”

Greyson-Fleg is thankful, too – not only for the education that she received at VCU but also for the university’s careful stewardship of her gifts.

“I know the money is in a good place. The gifts are well-directed,” she said. “The school has done so much for us alumni. We were all given chances to start our careers. Giving back is important to all of us.”

As parents of a primary care physician, Greyson-Fleg and her husband know all too well how important it is help keep student debt load to a minimum.

“Our son, Anthony, is the reason we created the scholarship for those with a love of primary care and pediatrics,” she said. “Those in primary care don’t earn the same kind of money as other specialists. This scholarship is one way we can help.”

Only half of the university’s medical students receive scholarships. The 1838 Campaign helps increase the number and size of scholarships to give the school a competitive edge for recruiting top students, rewarding student excellence and reducing the burden of debt.

“I am proud of our school’s longstanding investment in students who are headed into primary care careers, especially in light of projections that continue to warn of a future shortage of primary care physicians,” said Jerry Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine. “I am grateful to Rosemarie and Jerry for establishing this scholarship that honors their son Anthony’s commitment to primary care. They understand the importance of providing financial aid to medical students, and their gift will help us attract students to this calling.”

To learn more about the 1838 Campaign, contact Tom Holland, associate dean of development for the School of Medicine, at (804) 828-3800 or tehollan@vcu.edu.