The Eva Dimitrov, MD & PAHPM Student Scholarship

The Physician Associates in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PAHPM), a constituent organization of the AAPA, offers $1,500 scholarship grants to currently enrolled PA students.

This scholarship was created to honor the memory of Eva Dimitrov and her journey through serious illness and her discovery of how meaningful a role those who cared for her, her family and caregivers, can play. Eva was a sister, physician, mother, wife, daughter, and colleague who realized the full impact of her terminal condition from the time of diagnosis, and found the infinite value of a spiritual connection in her life journey. The caregiving role—played not only by her family and physical caregivers, but also her medical providers and team—starts really from the time of diagnosis. Her husband and sister recognized the value behind these individuals, and the need to develop communication and compassion skills that are vital to the understanding of the word “palliation” which is “to come beside and comfort.”

This scholarship aims to help train future ‘caregiver’ PAs with those very intentions. The hope is that PA students who are ready to go that extra step in steeping themselves in serious illness care can have the right resources and tools to learn what it means to palliate from the very beginning of disease. Our hope is to provide just a glimmer of hope and to be honest, caring guides for those patients, families, and caregivers suffering from serious illness and/or terminal illness.