The health law program at Georgia State University College of Law has consistently ranked top in the country, this year earning the No. 1 spot according to U.S. News & World Report. The program continues to expand, most recently by announcing the endowment of the Health Law Scholarship.
The scholarship was created and funded by Distinguished University Professor and professor of law Leslie Wolf, and supported by the health law advisory board members, faculty and alumni. The scholarship award for an incoming law student is a distinct honor in recognition of experience and potential.
Dr. Abayomi Jones
Dr. Abayomi Jones has been selected as the inaugural scholarship’s first recipient. Jones is a physician and served as the executive director of Student Health and Counseling Services at California State University in East Bay and a former Lt. Commander with the U.S. Coast Guard.
“We’re so excited about this scholarship, which enables us to bring talented candidates with an interest in health law to Georgia State Law,” Erin Fuse Brown, Catherine C. Henson Professor of Law and director of the Center for Law, Health & Society said. “Dr. Jones’ experience as a physician and interest in health law, policy and social justice makes her such a terrific match for our program and will allow her to bring a unique perspective into the classroom.”
Jones said learning she had been chosen for the health law scholarship reaffirmed her decision to pursue health law at Georgia State College of Law.
“I think it’s absolutely going to motivate me during my journey to stay focused, to do the very best that I can, and to be involved because it’s such an honor to receive this scholarship,” Jones said.
Jones has a passion for policy and sees a connection between her work in the health field and in her community. Her hope is by earning a law degree, she’ll be able to make an impact on the systems in place that affect a person’s health beyond their physical well-being.
“The original goal I had when I became a physician was to help people, so I want to be able to use all the modalities possible to do that,” she said. “There are other factors that go into making a community or a person healthy and I think that understanding the laws and policies in place to have those conversations will help me reach that goal.”
The scholarship helps fund the student’s first year of tuition and graduate research assistant positions for the student’s second and third years of law school. That allows the scholarship recipient the opportunity to work alongside health law faculty members, doing research in their area of interest or work with the Center for Law, Health & Society on various initiatives.
Written by Mara Thompson