Starting in Fall 2024, UTSA will use a $50k anonymous gift to create an endowment for its public health students. The new scholarships were raised in honor of Dr. Anita Kurian and Dr. Junda Woo, San Antonio physicians notable for their work during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Both scholarships will continually provide one or more “talented and motivated” public health students with funds to support their studies.
The scholarships make up UTSA’s Be Bold: A Campaign for Our Future, an ambitious fundraising campaign to provide its students with opportunities to reduce the financial burdens of attending university and increase research and innovative growth. The endowment is another investment in San Antonio’s public health output. The new UT School of Public Health will also welcome its inaugural graduate class in the fall.
“These will be the first endowed scholarships created in HCAP and in our standalone Department of Public Health, in concert with our collaborative UT School of Public Health San Antonio,” Lynne Cossman, Dean of the College for Health, Community and Policy said. “We are incredibly grateful to our anonymous donor for honoring their colleagues with these two generous gifts.”
Dr. Kurian is the deputy director of the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District’s Communicable Disease Division and the namesake for the first scholarship: the Dr. Anita Kurian Endowed Scholarship. She is being recognized for her consistent interactions with the public to inform them of the current state of COVID-19 in the city and for leading programs to fight the disease. Dr. Kurian’s most remarkable contribution was a campaign of door-to-door testing that was so effective that it ended in six days.
The second scholarship, the Dr. Junda Woo Endowed Scholarship, is named after Dr. Woo, medical director and local health authority for the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Dr. Woo also regularly shared updates with the public, using her background in preventative medicine. Her key contributions to fighting COVID-19 in San Antonio include ensuring local hospitals were appropriately equipped and capable of taking in patients, as well as being an advocate for marginalized communities and free COVID-19 testing sites.
“This recognition serves as a validation of the collective efforts of the dedicated people I have for making a positive impact in our community. I look forward to being a part of a legacy that promotes learning, growth and opportunities for aspiring public health students at UTSA,” Kurian said.
