UAA Honors Scholar receives Durward A. Huckabay, M.D. Fellowship
 

UAA Honors Scholar receives Durward A. Huckabay, M.D. Fellowship

By: Jessica Hamlin   Aug 2, 2006

Award to cover a portion of medical student’s tuition costs

ANCHORAGE – Zeljka Jutric, 2005 University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Honors Scholar, was recently awarded the Durward A. Huckabay, M.D. Fellowship to cover a portion of her tuition costs. Jutric, a first-year medical student studying at the University of Nevada Reno, is interested in Ob-Gyn and infectious diseases, specifically HIV/AIDS. She is currently involved in the growth and development of Student Outreach Clinic, a free student-run clinic serving the uninsured and underinsured.

In 1923, Durward A. Huckabay, a young medical student, and his wife Margaret were met with a difficult challenge when Huckabay’s parents died and left them with his four younger siblings to care for. Huckabay continued his medical education and training, eventually becoming a practicing physician and surgeon, all while raising his brothers and sisters.

Dr. Huckabay’s experiences as a medical student and his understanding of the financial hardships that medical students face, inspired his family, Durward “Huck” and Susan Huckabay, to assist a new generation of medical students by presenting a gift to the University of Nevada Reno. The gift is intended to aid students financially through medical school and prepare them for future careers in medicine.

“I am extremely grateful to be the recipient of the Huckabay Fellowship,” says Zeljka Jutric. “I appreciate the kindness and I hope to pay it forward in the future by helping a student in need such as myself.”

Jutric graduated from Dimond High School in 2000 and from UAA with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in math. In addition to being a University Honors Scholar, Jutric is also a former Senator of UAA Student Government, and earned Leadership Honors upon her graduation. While at UAA, she engaged in undergraduate research under Dr. Eric Murphy focusing on the effects of reinforcement on the consumption of alcohol in rats and received first place at the Behavioral Science Conference of the North for her research. She returned to UAA in the spring of 2006 to participate in the Alaska Premed Summit as a member of the Undergraduate Research panel.

For more information on the Durward A. Huckabay, M.D. Fellowship, contact (907) 786-1288 or anjmh6@uaa.alaska.edu.

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Jessica D. Hamlin ● Office of University Advancement ● (907) 786-1288