The Medical Laboratory Sciences department at Wichita State University has received
a $280,000 endowed scholarship gift from Southcentral Pathology.
Dr. Joel Alderson, president of Southcentral Pathology in Wichita, established this
fund to provide two full-ride scholarships each year in WSU’s Medical Laboratory Sciences
program. Recipients are chosen based on merit and financial need, and each student
receives an equal amount of funds. This is the largest scholarship donation ever made
to the program.
The first two recipients of the scholarship are junior Stephanie Thanh Pham and senior
Elena Lovelace. Thanh Pham and Lovelace were nominated by faculty in the Department
of Medical Laboratory Sciences. The students, both from the Wichita area, will benefit
from the financial support that will allow them to focus on their education.
Alderson is passionate about creating incentives and pathways for students interested
in medical laboratory sciences. His goal in establishing this scholarship is to attract
students to the medical laboratory sciences profession and reward students who have
displayed success through academic achievement, character and personal testament.
“It’s critical that we attract and recruit students to the medical laboratory sciences
program,” said Alderson. “From this side of industry, we need smart, enthusiastic
graduates of the program to work in pathology and other lab sciences.”
The health care industry is experiencing a shortage of Medical Laboratory Scientists
in Kansas and across the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an even higher demand
for these jobs. This generous scholarship gift from Southcentral Pathology will help
recruit students to the Medical Laboratory Sciences program at Wichita State, with
the goal of retaining graduates to work in Kansas.
“Medical laboratory scientists are critical professionals in clinical and forensic
sciences, industrial laboratories, and more recently in the molecular biotechnology
field. Our graduates from the program are in great demand with a high future growth
potential,” said Dr. Gregory Hand, dean of the College of Health Professions. “It
is gratifying to see such generous financial support that will let us expand the opportunity
for a Medical Laboratory Sciences degree to students who might otherwise not attend
Wichita State University.”
Alderson attended medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
– College of Osteopathic Medicine. His post-sophomore fellowship was at the University
of Missouri-Kansas City; residency at Baylor University Medical Center, AP/CP; and
fellowship at the University of Minnesota, Hematopathology. He is board certified
in anatomic and clinical pathology, and hematopathology. Alderson is highly experienced
and respected in the field and serves as the medical director for several laboratories
in the area.
Alderson is also the CLIA medical director for the Molecular Diagnostics Lab (MDL)
at Wichita State. CLIA is the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988,
which are the U.S. federal regulatory standards that apply to all clinical laboratory
testing performed on humans in the U.S., except clinical trials and basic research.
The MDL has processed over 250,000 tests and plays an important role in our community
to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Wichita State University serves as the Kansas urban-based research university, enrolling
more than 16,000 students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries.
Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation
driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in
the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),
Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of
applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one
of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing
over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
