Read the full story, published by the Geisel School of Medicine.
Four decades ago, Norm Payson, MED ’73, would not have become a doctor and health care leader had it not been for scholarship support. Payson now wants to make sure aspiring physicians are not held back from their dreams because of the heavy cost of a medical education.
Norm Payson, MED ’73, and his wife, Melinda, have made a $1 million gift to Geisel for student scholarships. (Photo courtesy of the Geisel School of Medicine)
Payson, a Hopkinton, N.H., resident, and his wife, Melinda, have made a $1 million gift to theGeisel School of Medicine to boost student scholarships. The gift will help students from New Hampshire not only attend medical school at Dartmouth but also be able to choose their field of medicine based on their interests and passion for improving lives, rather than selecting a specialty due in part to the pressure of repaying a large student debt. The new $1 million gift brings the Paysons’ total giving for student scholarships at Geisel to $3.5 million.
“Like other alumni, I felt very grateful to the medical school since I was a scholarship student myself, and didn’t have the financial means to go to medical school,” says Payson. “This medical school helped me a thousand years ago when I went to school, so that was heavy on my mind. And every time I visit Geisel and have an interaction with the students, teachers and leadership, I always feel so good about it, and it makes me optimistic about life.
“I see the students, how intelligent, enthusiastic, and idealistic they are, how hard they’re working, and it makes me much more optimistic about this profession and about our society,” says Payson, a member of the Geisel School of Medicine’s Board of Overseers.
