At the start of 2026, Kettering Health and Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine strengthened their partnership with a shared commitment to improving care for Ohio residents and building a strong pipeline of locally trained clinicians.
As part of that effort, the organizations introduced a new scholarship program designed to reduce financial barriers for medical students.
Nearly one million dollars in scholarships will be awarded to first‑ and fourth‑year medical students. Each student will receive a $40,000 scholarship. This represents an immediate investment in future physicians committed to advancing health care in Ohio.
“This scholarship was such an incredible and complete surprise,” said Olivia Dillman, a Cincinnati native and incoming transitional year resident at Kettering Health Main Campus. “I am so incredibly appreciative and grateful to Kettering Health for this opportunity and support.”
Stephen Bell, a recent graduate from Hilliard, Ohio, agreed.
“I was elated, naturally,” he said. “It always feels good to have nice things happen to you when you don’t expect them to. It was kind of like hitting it big on a scratch-off lottery ticket.”
In this initial phase, 23 medical students will receive full tuition for the fall and spring terms. Recipients include fourth‑year students who matched into Kettering Health residency programs and first‑year students from the greater Dayton region.
The program is designed to reduce medical education costs and address physician shortages in primary care and other high‑need specialties. KH leaders see this work as essential to building a sustainable, locally rooted physician workforce.
“This program reflects our shared commitment to developing the next generation of physicians who will care for our communities,” said R. Shaen Harvey, M.D., system chief medical officer at Kettering Health. “By supporting students from the Dayton region and those training within our system, we are strengthening our ability to recruit and retain talented physicians where they are needed most.”
The recipients see a definite impact with the scholarships.
“I think it’s a great way to recruit people to stay here in Ohio and serve underserved people,” said Danielle Gaddis, an Oklahoma City native who’s starting her residency at Kettering Health Dayton in July. “I think it’s especially beneficial for Kettering Health because it helps attract individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, ensuring greater diversity in the face of medicine.”
Bell, whose goal is to practice as a family physician with an emphasis on Spanish-speaking patients, expressed a similar belief in the program’s ability to strengthen the physician pipeline.
“In a country that is facing a physician shortage, I think that offering financial incentives like this one are how we motivate others into getting into medicine,” he said.
Other students receiving scholarships included Sarah Beach, Samuel Borgemenke, Luke DiCicco, Jaclyn Fickert, Lucille Gideon, Halie Leftwich and Hans Von Niederhausern.