MEDPREP | SIU Foundation | SIU

For students in SIU’s MEDPREP program, finding the time and money to earn the necessary education for a career in medicine or dentistry is a daunting obstacle. Paying tuition and bills, while juggling classes, work and a personal life are daily reality. But the true reality is that it doesn’t have to be this difficult. Support our MEDPREP students’ dreams of a medicine or dentistry career through a scholarship gift.

Shirley McGlinn, a long-time MEDPREP biology instructor, was much beloved by all who knew her. The Shirley McGlinn Memorial Endowed Scholarship will carry on Shirley’s legacy of unwavering support for MEDPREP students. Shirley was a dedicated educator, who brought a wealth of experience and passion to all she took on. She worked tirelessly to provide more than 1,000 MEDPREP students with an outstanding education through her innovative teaching. Shirley believed strongly in supporting students not just through teaching, but through mentorship and financial support.

The Dr. Tamara O’Neal MEDPREP Scholarship honors the memory of a former MEDPREP student, 2007-2009. Dr. O’Neal was working as an emergency department physician at Mercy Hospital in Chicago at the time of her death in 2018. Affectionately known at “TO” by her colleagues and friends, she was beloved for her smile, her kindness and her generosity of spirit. She had a passion for helping her community and wanted to be a physician to help the people of Chicago, particularly the south side. She chose emergency medicine to help those who needed her the most: the underserved who often end up in the emergency department as a last resort when they have nowhere else to turn.

We need your help to endow these scholarships and provide support to bright and motivated students for years to come. Preserve the legacies of Shirley McGlinn and Tamara O’Neal and by making your gift today.

The MEDPREP scholarships are awarded to MEDPREP students on the basis of academics, community service and/or financial need. These scholarships are available on a competitive basis for currently enrolled MEDPREP students who have completed their first year of the program and are in good academic standing.