The Alumni Association of UCSF (AAUCSF) has launched a scholarship for UCSF students across the health sciences: the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Scholarship. The award is given to a UCSF student in their final year who has demonstrated promise addressing health care disparities. In a close competition, and rallied by alumna and chair emeritus Kimberly Topp, PT, PhD, our UCSF/SFSU DPT alumni stepped up their donations to win the inaugural JEDI Scholarship for one of our current students.
Congratulations to Zerrick Santos, the third-year DPT student who received the scholarship! Santos was born and raised in Long Beach by his father, who emigrated from Cape Verde, Africa. While working as a physical therapy aide in college, Santos noticed that patients often arrived upset or in pain. After treatment, these same patients would be in an elevated mood and moving better; during follow-up visits they would report how they were able to enjoy their weekend with their family, run errands, or more easily go for a walk. These positive changes inspired him to become a physical therapist.
Since joining the DPT program, he’s spent considerable time at UCSF’s pro bono Community Clinic and working with the Teen Fit program. Santos looks forward to a career in physical therapy and becoming a movement system expert who can help improve his community.