"The respect and trust that is granted to doctors in the first few moments of meeting a patient is incredible and provides an avenue in which doctors can make life changing impacts on their patients. Much like I enter the lives of students to try and make their lives better and make students feel important and loved by someone, physicians enter the most intimate parts of their patients lives with the opportunity to change an individual’s story and trajectory in life."

After losing her husband, Gunther, to a staph infection in November 2009, the late Lee Weigel wanted to improve the quality of healthcare in our country. To realize that goal, she partnered with the Elks National Foundation to endow the Gunther and Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship, which helps Elks scholars pursue careers in medicine. For more information, visit enf.elks.org/WeigelMSS.