Going for impact

The last time we caught up with Donna Grogan, MD, R'87, P'18, in fall 2022, she and her husband, Paul Grogan, had recently endowed a scholarship for students in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine.

Three years later, the Grogans have endowed a second scholarship that, when combined with their first, will fully offset the annual tuition of an in-state medical student, starting with the 2025-2026 school year.

The Grogan family’s deep ties to UMass Chan Medical School span Donna’s early career as a resident and chief resident at UMass Memorial Health, the Medical School’s clinical partner, and extend to the medical degrees and current faculty roles of her son, Conor Grogan, MD’18, and daughter-in-law Katelyn Soares, MD’18.

Below, Donna shares her thoughts on the couple’s generous philanthropy—and the significant impact it will make on the life of aspiring physicians at UMass Chan, now and for generations to come.

Can you say a few words about your experience as a scholarship donor, thus far?
I’ve appreciated the opportunity to get to know the recipient of our first scholarship [Stephanie Choi, MD’25]. She and I have met a few times, so I’ve come to understand her story and planned path in life. I also think it’s interesting for Stephanie to learn about my own history and life journey. At the end of the day, it’s extremely rewarding to know that your gift is substantially helping a specific student achieve their goals in medicine.

What made you decide to significantly boost the value of your scholarship with a new gift? 
The idea first came up when I was having dinner with Stephanie and Heather Maykel [from UMass Chan’s Office of Advancement]. We were discussing the first scholarship’s yearly distribution, and given the total cost of a medical degree, I began to think about making a bigger impact on a student's life. I think an individual should be able to graduate from medical school without being $200,000 in debt [the nationwide average].

So, Heather and I started discussing what it would take to fully cover the annual tuition of an in-state student. My husband and I explored making a gift that would achieve this goal with our financial planner, and we ultimately decided to make the commitment. We have been very fortunate in our lives, and we are grateful to be able to give back by making a profound impact on a student’s life.  

The scholarship designates a preference for students pursuing primary care. What influenced this decision? 
I think primary care is very hard to practice today. And although primary care physicians are well paid relative to the general population, they're not as highly compensated as many specialists. What I don't want to see is a medical student interested in primary care graduate with so much debt that they feel they have no choice but to pursue a higher-paying specialty, especially during this era of a primary care physician shortage. As beneficiaries of the scholarship, we hope the recipients will feel the drive to give back as they start their careers.

Is there anything else you would like to say to potential scholarship donors? 
I encourage anyone whose life has been touched by UMass Chan in some way to consider giving back through a scholarship. Seeing the impact of your gift on a student’s life is very tangible and fulfilling. I’ll also add that it’s been incredibly rewarding to work with the Office of Advancement. Making a gift to UMass Chan is not a difficult process.

So, I think that if medical education and caring for our community are important to you, then you should absolutely consider establishing a scholarship at UMass Chan.

Learn how you can establish a scholarship at UMass Chan Medical School