Ripple Effect of One Act of Kindness - Oprah Scholarship
By Stephanie Palumbo
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the December 2011 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine 
Photo: Courtesy of Van Adamson
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Adamson was offered the Oprah scholarship for the fall semester of his sophomore year. (He later enrolled in ROTC, which paid the remainder of his tuition.) After graduating, he completed medical school, went on active duty, and is now an air force major and cardiology fellow. Healing in Iraq In 2009 Adamson treated American soldiers—often amputees injured by improvised explosive devices—and critically injured Iraqi citizens at Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq. Serving Stateside Adamson currently sees veterans, soldiers, and their families in cardiology clinics at Wilford Hall and Brooke Army medical centers, both in San Antonio. "The scholarship started a ripple effect," he says. Going Forward Adamson plans to open free primary care clinics in impoverished neighborhoods and hopes to play a role in crafting public health legislation. |
