Legacy member story
Carrie Roseamelia, PhD
“I’ve thought a lot about the impact of my career…I want to feel that I’ve made a difference and having played an important role in the Rural Medical Scholars Program, it truly is the legacy of my career.”
These are the words of Carrie Roseamelia, PhD, former associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and former assistant dean for the rural medicine program in the Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University. She is a new member of the Upstate Foundation’s Legacy Society, which is comprised of donors who have included Upstate Medical University in their estate plans.
“The students I came to serve with this program are my legacy,” Dr. Roseamelia continued. “I offered 10 years of my professional and personal life to expanding the mission of the Rural Medical Scholars Program. This work was incredibly rewarding.”
That mission was to identify, recruit and nurture medical students who were interested in a future rural or small-town practice. The Rural Medical Scholars Program offers four years of electives in rural medicine including clinical rotations across New York state.
“Preparing medical students to work with underserved communities is critical to the mission of serving Central New York and upstate communities,” explained Dr. Roseamelia. “But it was the interactions I had with students that made this program extraordinary. The program changed with a new cohort of students; it evolved over time through the direct participation of students.”
She described an example of the program’s evolution though the contributions of a student who graduated in 2018.
“She was struggling with her first year of medicine and questioning her decision to become a doctor,” Dr. Roseamelia said. “We developed a course together called Rural Immersion Week, which offers a one-week clinical experience away from the academic setting and serves to bring students together. It remains an important elective.”
The Rural Medical Scholars Program will be the beneficiary of Dr. Roseamelia’s legacy gift. “It’s never too soon to think about leaving a gift that might make a difference,” she advises.
“Working with the Upstate Foundation has been incredibly informative and collaborative, and easier than one would imagine,” Dr. Roseamelia concluded. “I was offered a step-by-step guide, and walked through this process on my own terms. I can be a bit particular in how I manage my decisions, and the Foundation understood this and was very supportive.”
For more information about ways to create your own personal Legacy, contact your financial advisor or call Carolyn Hendrickson, director of legacy giving at the Upstate Foundation, at 315-464-6490.
Photo credit: Cylinda Photography