Jan 3, 2019: PRACTICEMATCH ANNOUNCES WINNER OF 2ND ANNUAL EMPOWERED PHYSICIAN SCHOLARSHIP

Orthopedic Surgery Resident Overcomes Adversity to Achieve His Dream of becoming a Surgeon

St. Louis, MO, December 17, 2018- Dr. Christopher Hamilton, an orthopedic surgery resident at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, won the 2nd annual Physician Empowerment scholarship from PracticeMatch, provider of the nation's largest physician recruitment marketing tool. Dr. Hamilton submitted the winning essay regarding his journey to becoming a physician, including family trauma and multiple obstacles he successfully tackled along the way. His story of overcoming adversity was so moving it earned him the $2,000 scholarship this year.

Future physicians applied for the PracticeMatch Empowered Physician Scholarship by submitting an essay about their inspiration for becoming a doctor, including their journey through medical school, and how they plan to positively impact others as a physician. In his winning essay, Hamilton detailed many family, personal, and health struggles from childhood throughout much of his life. After growing up in the projects of Detroit, Hamilton endured domestic violence and the loss of his mother. Instead of heading down the wrong path, Hamilton chose to make something of himself. His life reached a turning point when his brother suggested joining the Marines, which changed the trajectory of his life forever. In yet another unfortunate turn of events, Dr. Hamilton's brother passed away tragically in 2015.

"I had dealt with a lot in my life up to this point, but my brother was everything to me. We had been through everything together and he was around for all of my graduations and cared for me like a parent would have," Dr. Hamilton wrote in his essay, "...[my brother] made growing up without parents manageable. ...I did not know what to do. I wanted to give up and stop caring about anything. I knew my brother would not have tolerated that," he recalls.

Dr. Hamilton then went on to explain how his wife also encouraged him to keep moving forward despite the setbacks, and to get accepted into his current residency program. He looks forward to helping others conquer any of life's problems, so they too can achieve their goals.

"I am honored to accept the PracticeMatch Empowered Physician Scholarship Award. The journey of medical education is long and costly, but well worth the sacrifice to be part of such an exclusive group of people, [who] care for patients in their time of need," Hamilton wrote when notified of his win. "This award will help me continue my medical education, learn how to provide the highest quality of care, and become a great physician. The financial burden of a medical education can be stressful at times, but this scholarship will allow me to spend less time worrying about finances, and more time on what truly matters: my patients," he concludes.

There were a number of outstanding entrants and essays submitted for the scholarship this year. Empowered Physician Scholarship Program Runners-up include:

• Xin Yi (Cindy) Ye - Intern at Hana Holistic Medical Center, and 2018 Graduate of UC Berkeley
• Seo Angela Choi, D.O. - Geriatrics Fellow at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine

"Congratulations to Dr. Hamilton and the runners-up on this exciting achievement. There was an extremely competitive field of applicants with great stories and many accomplishments in medicine and in life," states Mike York, CEO of PracticeMatch. "We enjoyed reading about these empowered physicians and getting to know more about them from their compelling essays. These aspiring physicians and young doctors have very bright futures in medicine ahead."

About PracticeMatch:

PracticeMatch is one of the most established companies serving healthcare employers with physician recruiting resources including job boards, career fairs, and candidate leads. Established more than 25 years ago, its Pinpoint physician database includes over 358,000 interviewed, pre-screened physicians. Based in St. Louis, MO, the company hosts more than 30 live and virtual physician career fairs annually, across the country. For media inquiries, or to schedule an interview with a PracticeMatch executive, please contact Andrea Clement - aclement@usa.M3.com. For more information regarding healthcare recruiting resources provided by PracticeMatch, please contact Mike York (800) 489-1440, or email mike.york@practicematch.com.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Andrea Clement, Media Relations at 404.990.3614 or email at aclement@usa.m3.com.



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