SreyRam Kuy, a Ford Scholar from the Class of 1996, earned the Gerald E. Bruce Community Service Award this year for the initiative she has taken professionally and civically in her Louisiana community.
“My passion for medicine began in a refugee camp, birthed as a casualty from war,” Kuy said. “The doctor who saved my life in Khao-I-Dang was the first step of my journey into medicine.”
Ford Family Foundation Board Vice Chair and Class of 1994 Ford Scholar Toby Luther presented Kuy with the award at the Ford Scholars Recognition Conference in Eugene on June 25.
The Louisiana Secretary of Health recently appointed Kuy to serve as the chief medical officer for Medicaid. Prior to that, she worked at a Veteran Affairs medical center in Louisiana as a general surgeon, where she founded the Center for Innovations in Quality, Outcomes and Patient Safety, which improves the quality of care for veterans. She has also volunteered with various medical organizations.
Gerald E. Bruce, the award’s namesake, was a close friend of Mr. Ford and one of The Foundation’s founding directors. He envisioned a future where Ford Scholars were not only successful in their careers of choice but also acted as volunteers and civic leaders.
The Foundation is seeking applications and nominations for the annual Gerald E. Bruce Community Service Award for Ford Scholar Alumni who are pillars in their community as entrepreneurs, philanthropists and role models for future generations. Ford Scholar alumni from the Classes of 1994 through 2007 are eligible to be nominated. Nominations may be submitted on behalf of one’s self or by a fellow Ford Scholar and are due Nov. 13, 2016.
The selected recipient will receive a plaque and a $5,000 grant to a non-profit organization of his or her choice at the Ford Scholars Recognition Conference in Eugene on July 8, 2017.
Nominators and applicants will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card.
Visit the Ford Scholar Alumni Association website for the nomination form, www.FordScholarAlumni.com, under the “Get Involved” tab. Call the Foundation Scholarship Office at 877-864-2872 or e-mail fordscholarships@tfff.org for more information.