Medical College of Georgia alumnus Medical College of Georgia alumnus
Dr. J. Charles Eldridge, a Medical College of Georgia, School of Graduate Studies alumnus and Wake Forest University of Medicine professor of physiology and pharmacology, has donated over $10,000 to establish an award and endowment for MCG’s School of Graduate Studies summer Student Training And Research (STAR) program. The endowment funds an annual award for undergraduate students attending the STAR program which provides opportunities for highly motivated undergraduates to develop skills as young scientists and explore their interest in biomedical research. Dr. Eldridge initiated the Outstanding STAR Award and anonymously funded the prize for the first four years. His generous contributions to establish the endowment has created permanent and dependable support to sustain the award and recognize more outstanding STARs in future years. The $150 Outstanding STAR Student Award is presented at the end of each summer STAR session to a participant who has achieved outstanding undergraduate research accomplishments during the STAR program, shown true STAR character and displayed exceptional potential as a biomedical researcher.
“I wanted to establish permanent support of the award because it helps energize the STAR program as an attractive summer experience for undergraduate students, which will in turn help MCG recruit outstanding graduate students,” Dr. Eldridge said. “The STAR students recognize the exceptional qualities and talents of their STAR peers and realize that it really is truly an honor to be singled out and recognized as outstanding within such an incredibly talented group,” said Dr. Patricia Cameron, associate dean of the School of Graduate Studies and director of the STAR program. “It has been a privilege to present this award and we are sincerely grateful to Dr. Eldridge for the opportunity his endowment provides to continue recognizing outstanding STAR students.”
Dr. Cameron and Dr. Gretchen Caughman, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, told Dr. Eldridge about the STAR program in 2002 when he returned to MCG as a keynote speaker for the Graduate Research Day awards banquet. “They showed me how important the program is to undergraduate students and how important it is to MCG,” Dr. Eldridge says. “I realized how beneficial a similar experience would have been for me when I was in college.”
Dr. Eldridge is especially pleased that the program encourages students from small colleges. As a graduate of North Central College in Naperville, IL., he relates to the apprehension of pursuing a doctorate on a larger campus.“A realistic experience in a research setting gives them a greater feeling of confidence,” he said. “This program puts all students on equal footing.”
Dr. Eldridge, who received the 2002 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the MCG School of Graduate Studies Alumni Association, credits his former professor, Dr. Virendra B. Mahesh, Chair Emeritus of the MCG Department of Physiology and Endocrinology, with sharing the spirit of giving with his students. “We always said when we grew up in the profession we wanted to be like Dr. Mahesh,” he said. “Well, now I’ve been university faculty for more than 30 years so I can appreciate what MCG and Dr. Mahesh gave me. I’m happy to give back to MCG and also to the young people who will follow us.”
Modification of original article by Kim Miller, "MCG Alumnus establishes endowment for STAR students", Beeper, February 9, 2006.