VCU Health Doctors Create Family Scholarship

Two VCU Health doctors recently made a generous donation to create the Drs. Deepak and Mareen Thomas Scholarship for an incoming or current medical student from southern Virginia, with preference for one from Emporia. They are among the youngest VCU alumni to establish a scholarship.

“Deepak and Mareen are thoughtful, smart, caring, empathetic and patient. The ideal characteristics of great doctors,” said Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen, chair of the Division of Cardiology. “We are delighted to have Deepak here at Pauley.”

Deepak is an interventional cardiologist who works downtown at VCU Medical Center as well as at VCU Health’s Colonial Square outpatient clinic in Colonial Heights, Va. Mareen is an endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

The married couple, who are busy with three children under the age of six, met while they were both students at the VCU School of Medicine. They attended Yale University for their residencies and Washington University in St. Louis for their fellowships together. Thomas also received an advanced fellowship at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Deepak’s father and both of Mareen’s parents are doctors. While at VCU, Deepak’s mentor was Dr. George Eapen, “who became both my cardiology colleague and father-in-law,” he says. “In both the clinical and charitable realms, he leads by example every day.”

The endowed scholarship is for a medical student based on academic merit, or financial need, or both. They focus on students from southern Virginia because “my wife spent most of her childhood in the area, and we both enjoy taking care of patients from Emporia, Waverly, Sutherland and Dinwiddie County. By helping promote a student of financial need from this area, we want them to know they are welcome into the broader medical community. Maybe they too will see the benefit and reward of a lifelong medical career in their hometown.”

He adds, “This is one small way to help medical students in perpetuity—as the fund will continue to grow after we are gone.”

If you would like to learn more about ways to support education, research or clinical care at VCU Health, please contact Carrie Mills, senior major gift officer, at (804) 828-0423 or Carrie.R.Mills@vcuhealth.org.