Press release

Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ) announces 2018 Health Careers Scholarships (HCS) and Mentors
HPSJ will increase scholarship support level for next year’s HCS scholars

(French Camp, CA) – Health Plan of San Joaquin continues to encourage future Central Valley doctors, nurses and pharmacists. With its Health Careers Scholarships (HCS) program, HPSJ this year supports up to six local schools and programs, including San Joaquin Medical Society’s DECISION MEDICINE. To date, over HPSJ 170 scholarships have been awarded to deserving students in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

Each HCS scholar receives $2,500, is assigned an HPSJ mentor, and is eligible to later apply for a $1,000 continuing education grant. During the next round of scholarships (2018-2019) the student Health Careers Scholarship awards will be increased by $500 to $3,000.

HPSJ Chief Medical Officer Lakshmi Dhanvanthari, MD, who also is a program mentor, has told HCS students, “We are proud of the way you purposefully blend hard work, academic excellence and a passion for service. As we continue to support your progress through academia, including mentors from our likewise dedicated health plan staff, we hope that your journey will always bring you back to your Central Valley roots and outstanding health care careers.”          

This year’s six partners, 12 scholars and HPSJ mentors are:

Health Careers Academy – Grace M. Davis High School (Stanislaus County)

  • Oria Rigiwal, future physician, going to SCU Stanislaus [Senior Accountant/Finance Department Elida Pinto
  • Alina Bizyayeva, future anatomical pathologist, going to Hawaii Pacific University [Customer Service Rep Dayl Croneis

The San Joaquin Medical Society – Decision Medicine (San Joaquin County)

  • Julia Spencer, future OB/GYN, going to UC Irvine [Health Promotions and Cultural & Linguistics Program Manager Jenny Dominguez]
  • Maha Shaikh, future pediatrician, going to UC Santa Barbara [Compliance Specialist Syla Ka]

San Joaquin Delta College – Nursing program (San Joaquin County)

  • Laura Kazemi, future nurse, attending SJDC [Claims Analyst Jeannie Yeager]
  • Farishta Mohammad Wali, future midwife, attending SJDC [Authorizations & Referrals/Utilization Rogie Dajao]

Health Careers Academy High School (San Joaquin County)

  •  Uma Charan, future nurse practitioner, going to UC Davis [Chief Medical Officer Lakshmi Dhanvanthari, MD]
  •  Anjali Lata Kumar, future registered nurse, going to UCLA [Quality Management Operations Manager Andrea Swan]

  Modesto Junior College – Nursing Program (Stanislaus County)

  • Angela McCabe, future trauma nurse, attending MJC  [Inpatient Services and Care Coordination Manager, Karen Cuslidge]
  • Danielle Parks, future trauma nurse, attending MJC  [HR Rep for Systems & Reporting Marisa Hampton]

University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy (San Joaquin County)

  • Maria Ngoc Vo, attending UOP  [Business Intelligence Director Randy Smith]
  • Olivia Page, attending UOP  [Business Intelligence Manager Patricia Stechman]

About HPSJ

Health Plan of San Joaquin, a not-for-profit, public health plan, has been serving members and the community since 1996. Located in the heart of California’s multicultural Central Valley, HPSJ is the leading Medi-Cal managed care provider in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. HPSJ offers a broad network of providers and works closely with physicians to develop programs and services to ensure quality health care for almost 350,000 members who are mostly working families and children, as well as seniors and disabled residents.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded Health Plan of San Joaquin its three-year reaccreditation in the category of Medicaid HMO. NCQA is one of the most comprehensive evaluations in the health insurance industry.