UNC School of Medicine student Kamryn Locklear Moore is the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Joseph Bell Scholarship. Moore, a third-year medical student from Robeson County, will receive $2,500 toward the cost of attendance to support her medical education in the 2024-25 academic year.<\/p>\n
This scholarship endowment was recently created in honor of Joseph Bell, MD, to recognize his legacy and impact as the state\u2019s first American Indian pediatrician and longtime advocate for American Indian health.<\/p>\n
Among the many scholarship applicants, Moore stood out for her passion to serve American Indian communities as well as her marked interest in science and medicine from an early age. Moore, who grew up in Lumberton and was a pediatric patient of Dr. Bell, said she is excited to be the first recipient of the scholarship.<\/p>\n
“I’ve always looked up to Dr. Bell and am so happy to receive this scholarship \u2013 and to see him honored in this way,” she said.<\/p>\n
While Moore is grateful for the financial award, she is also deeply motivated by the primary reason for the scholarship, which is to support medical students who want to serve native communities, especially in pediatrics.<\/p>\n
“There are so few Native people in medicine,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThis scholarship recognizes that we are here and that we belong at UNC School of Medicine.”<\/p>\n
Bell, a resident of Pembroke who grew up in Robeson County and a proud member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, is a founding member of the North Carolina American Indian Health Board, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics\u2019 Committee on Native American Child Health, and a past president of the Association of American Indian Physicians, among his many accolades.<\/p>\n
“It was an amazing experience to find out that Kamryn will be the inaugural recipient of the scholarship,” Bell said. “She is from the same Native American community in Robeson County that I am from. Not only was Kamryn a patient of mine, she was also one of my students during her first two years at UNC School of Medicine. I can\u2019t imagine a more appropriate person to receive this first scholarship.”<\/p>\n
Following his undergraduate education at UNC, Bell earned his MD degree from UNC School of Medicine in 1986. He then spent four years at Oklahoma\u2019s Choctaw Indian Hospital before returning to North Carolina to establish his pediatric practice.<\/p>\n
Bell was the first Lumbee pediatrician and the first American Indian pediatrician in North Carolina. He has dedicated his life to improving the health of Native children and providing culturally sensitive care to Native communities in North Carolina and beyond.<\/p>\n
Bell said that one of his passions is to see more students who are devoted to serving Native American communities matriculate through UNC School of Medicine.<\/p>\n
“One of the obstacles facing students is the cost of a medical education,\u201d Bell said. \u201cEducational debt is a huge problem for many young people. I hope the scholarship helps alleviate at least some of this financial burden.”<\/p>\n
The endowment fund was created with an initial goal of reaching $100,000, which will provide a $5,000 scholarship each year, helping to ease debt for recipients. As the endowment continues to grow with future contributions, so will the scholarship.<\/p>\n
For more information on the Dr. Joseph Bell Scholarship Endowment and how to support this fund, please contact Claire Veazey at claire_vz@med.unc.edu or 919.445.6738.<\/p>\n
www.unchf.org\/joeybellscholarship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"