Two Duke University School of Medicine students have been named 2024 Tillman Scholars by the Pat Tillman Foundation, which recognizes exceptional military service members, veterans, and spouses and empowers them with academic scholarships, leadership development opportunities, and a global community of mentors and peers.
Elle Hepburn Reason, a third-year MD student, and James White, a first-year MD student, were named to this year’s class of Tillman Scholars. A total of 60 Tillman Scholars, including 17 in medical fields, were selected from among thousands of candidates nationwide.
Also named a 2024 Tillman Scholar from Duke was Matthew Morris, a dual degree candidate in the Master of Environmental Management and Master of Business Administration programs.
In all, six School of Medicine students have been named Tillman Scholars since the program began in 2009.
Reason, in addition to her clinical responsibilities, is conducting research on treatment options for a rare type of breast cancer and participates in mentorship activities for high school students from underrepresented minority groups in the Durham community. Her husband, Ross, is an infantry officer at Fort Liberty.
White, a West Point graduate who served six deployments in Afghanistan, Africa, and the Middle East, aspires to use his military and biomedical engineering experience to systematically identify and reduce medical errors while improving patient safety in clinical and pre-hospital health care environments.
The Pat Tillman Foundation was established by the family of Pat Tillman, an NFL football player who left the sport to join the U.S. Army after the 9/11 attacks and died during combat operations in Afghanistan in 2004.