Vershawn C. Hansen said the trauma he suffered as a teenager and his family’s struggle to find affordable healthcare led him into the medical and healthcare field.

HOUSTON, TX – As a teenager, Vershawn C. Hansen did everything possible to avoid the drug violence that plagued his Chicago west side neighborhood and was forced to receive food assistance just to survive.

Through it all, he managed to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Drexel University College of Medicine where he is studying to become a physician. This week, the SignatureCare Emergency Center Scholarship Committee selected him as the winner of the $1,000 2024 Fall Semester Medical and Healthcare Scholarship.

The committee said Vershawn is the most qualified of all applicants to receive the award.

“It’s incredible what Vershawn C. Hansen has overcome in his life. To get to where he is and to achieve all that he has achieved is just phenomenal. We are happy to award him this scholarship and we hope it helps him accomplish his life’s goals,” Dr. Christopher Langan, MD, the Chief Medical Officer of SignatureCare Emergency Center said this week.

Dr. Langan, a board-certified emergency room physician, congratulated the winner on the award while stressing that he is certain Vershawn will continue to seize opportunities as they are presented to him in his quest to better his life and help the community.

“It is commendable that he wants to help those who are unable to access medical care in the community. His life experiences growing up will continue to motivate him to give back to the community,” Dr Langan said. 

It is commendable that he wants to help those who are unable to access medical care in the community. His life experiences growing up will continue to motivate him to give back to the community.

Vershawn said in his scholarship essay that the trauma he experienced began early, shortly after the eighth grade.

“While trying our best to avoid the gangs and drug violence that plagued the community, my family also received food assistance, barely getting by, and struggled to find affordable, adequate healthcare, as the only two clinics in our area lost funding and were forced to shut down. On the west side of Chicago, in the Austin neighborhood—my home—this was normal,” he said.

“As a result of my upbringing, going to college never seemed like an option, so when I committed to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was ecstatic! I finally had the chance to change our narrative, and my journey of becoming a physician began shortly after, when I became a pharmacy technician. 

“While helping patients who could not afford life-saving medications, I learned the role social determinants of health have on medication adherence. In accordance with my passion for patient advocacy, I began finding prescription discounts and persuading pharmacists to authorize emergency supplies of medication for vulnerable patients. I applied to the Summer Health Professions Education Program, where I participated in cadaver labs, shadowed professionals, and learned about the physician’s role in interprofessional teams. It was then that I knew a career in medicine was my purpose.

Vershawn said that his undergraduate research into sexually transmitted infections and the disparities in care informed his decision to go into the healthcare field.

“As an undergraduate researcher investigating disparities in sexually transmitted infections, I learned that underrepresented racial groups are more likely to acquire STIs but less likely to receive treatment due to the lack of access to care. These findings reaffirmed my goal of becoming a physician to reduce the disparities caused by unequal access to care,” Hansen said.

In 2020 Vershawn became the first in his family to graduate college. After obtaining a master’s degree from Drexel University, he decided to attend medical school. 

“I hope to gain the skills necessary to fight for the vulnerable, expand access for the medically underserved, and reduce the inequities that disproportionately impact overall health outcomes. I want to improve the lives of others, and the SignatureCare Emergency College Scholarship will allow me to pursue my medical education with less financial stress,” he added.

To apply for the $1,000 fall or spring semester SignatureCare Emergency Center College Scholarship, go to https://ercare24.com/scholarship.

About SignatureCare Emergency Center

Houston, TX-based SignatureCare Emergency Center owns nine 24-hour emergency centers throughout Texas, including in Odessa, Killeen, Austin, Pflugerville, Midland, Texarkana, Paris, Lewisville, and College Station, TX.