Meet the Grads: Driven by family, WVU medical student strives to ‘help as many families as possible’ with scholarship support

^{Private scholarship support has helped Jonathan "Tucker" Bennett excel as an MD student at the WVU School of Medicine.}

Inspired by his own family tragedy, West Virginia UniversitySchool of Medicine student Jonathan "Tucker" Bennett is on a mission to save others through emergency medicine.

As a child, Bennett's mom, Rainelle, used to tell him about the serious health challenges his older brother, Trey, overcame as an infant. Trey had a congenital heart arrythmia that didn't cause issues again until his mid-20s, when he unexpectedly died in his sleep.

"That's kind of what was the nail in the coffin, so to speak, of my journey to medicine," Bennett said. "I knew I wanted to be able to save other people's older brothers."

Bennett is graduating in May with his medical degree at WVU thanks to private support from the The Health Plan Medicine Scholarship and the George and Ethel Curry Medical Scholarship, combined with community aid from the Hinton Area Foundation.

"Scholarship support has removed a lot of barriers for me," Bennett said. "Nobody else in my family had a college degree. My mom didn't make a lot growing up. So, without any additional financial stress, I've been able to focus on having a good time here and learning the best I can."

Scholarships help make medical school attainable for first-generation students from West Virginia - many of whom aspire to one day serve the state and help others, like Bennett.

"Scholarship support for our students is critical to their success along the arduous path to becoming a physician," Dr. Norman Ferrari III, WVU vice dean for medical education, said. "This is one of the most important ways to reduce their stress and let them focus on developing the knowledge, skills and compassion to become the best physician that they can be."

A native of Nimitz in Summers County, Bennett earned his bachelor's degree in biology and health sciences at Concord University. His brother died during his sophomore year, putting him on the path to WVU.

Bennett chose the University for medical school because of its excellent reputation, impressive facilities and affordable in-state tuition. But tragedy changed Bennett's life again as he was tackling the early challenges of the MD program. Halfway through his first semester, his mother was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer.

She died less than a year later on Aug. 25, 2023, as Bennett was beginning his second year of medical school.

"That was a very hard time, but it really reinforced everything I entered medicine for," Bennett said. "I feel like everything in my life has kind of steered me this direction to pursue this path, so I can hopefully help as many families as possible."

^{WVU medical student Jonathan "Tucker" Bennett poses with his late brother, Trey, and late mother, Rainelle.}

Now in his final semester of medical school, Bennett is committed to a career in emergency medicine because the field offers tremendous opportunities to make a difference. He noted that his brother could have been saved if his arrythmia had occurred in a hospital setting.

"Going into emergency medicine, you're not with patients for very long," Bennett said. "You're with them when they enter the emergency room and then you stabilize them, try to figure out what's going on, and send them on their way. But, during that time, you can have an extremely profound impact on them, especially for somebody who passes away in the emergency room and you bring them back. I'm grateful and proud to be part of something like that."

Bennett will continue his training at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, where he matched for a residency in emergency medicine. He plans to eventually practice in southern West Virginia - primarily in a rural care setting, although he wants to stay engaged with academic medicine to ensure he's up to date on the latest research and treatment advances.

His career options are vast thanks to his scholarships. Salaries for physicians vary by specialty, forcing many graduates with steep debt to pursue more lucrative fields.

"I'm in very little debt," Bennett said. "It sets up a future where I can do what I want when I want and where I want without worrying about repaying all the loans and everything."

Yet, Bennett said his scholarships have meant far more than money as he's worked to achieve his dreams.

"Just to have somebody say, 'Hey, we believe in you. We're going to help fund this.' It's hard to describe in words my gratitude," Bennett said.

When he's able to do so, Bennett hopes to offer similar encouragement to the next generation. He plans to establish scholarships in honor of his mom and brother to empower future physicians to succeed.

Scholarship gifts to support the School of Medicine are made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University. Gifts can be made online at give.wvu.edu/medicine.