Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund Update  - BCM

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Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund

Read a message from Dr. Cecilia T. Valdes and her family to learn about your impact at Baylor College of Medicine through the Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund:

Fifteen years ago, we created a scholarship at Baylor College of Medicine in memory of Michael Lee Rutledge, M.D. Then, in 2011, we raised enough funds to endow this scholarship and establish the Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund. Thank you for your support of this crucial scholarship and for continuing the legacy of Dr. Michael Rutledge.   

Michael Lee Rutledge, M.D.

A truly dedicated leader in the Baylor community, Dr. Rutledge earned his doctorate degree and completed a residency in Pathology at the College. His family, friends and colleagues knew he was a lifelong learner and student, and this scholarship is a tribute to his admiration for learning. It is our hope to inspire the scholarship recipients with a similar drive and passion for medical education. 

Your participation in this fundraising effort meant a lot to me and my family. We are still touched by your generosity. Now, we are delighted to share this report with you on how your efforts have impacted the recipients of this scholarship, many of whom have gone on to continue Dr. Rutledge’s legacy in their respective fields around the country. 

Sincerely,
– Dr. Cecilia T. Valdes and family

Your Impact

Since 2012, Baylor has awarded the Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship to 13 students who demonstrate a strong commitment to enhancing their knowledge in healthcare to advance patient care and biomedical research. We are delighted to share some of their stories and experiences with you.  

Mariana De Pary Baroni

This scholarship allowed me to attend Baylor, where I was exposed to many different specialties and populations. Specifically, my experience with inpatient psychiatry at Ben Taub Hospital helped me decide to pursue this field. I am interested in pursuing a psychiatry residency at Baylor or another academic institution at a diverse city when I graduate and possibly doing a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship.” 

Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund Update 

Victor Albornoz-Alvarez, M.D.

It’s an incredible feeling knowing that your actions are producing the results you want, and every bit of reinforcement raises my standard to do better. I’m a Venezuelan immigrant who has faced many hardships, including a mudslide, the consequences of the Venezuelan political turmoil and the loss of my brother to oral cancer during my first year of medical school. The latter ignited my passion for head and neck surgical oncology, with a lifelong mission to improve the outcomes of cancer patients. Many thanks to the donors of the Rutledge Valdes Scholarship for believing in my potential as a future surgeon. Because of you, I will improve the outcomes of head and neck cancer patients while practicing state-of-the-art medicine with the utmost compassion. 

Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund Update 

Xinqi Ren, M.D.

The Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship was hugely impactful and I’d love to share my message. This scholarship helped me appreciate the level of support that goes into graduating a physician it takes a village. I enjoy all aspects of education and my experience at Baylor College of Medicine. Because of this, I continued my training at Baylor and joined as a faculty member in Family Medicine. Now, I teach my patients and students, and I learn from them too. 

Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund Update 

Endowment Growth

Since its inception, the Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund has grown by nearly $50,000! That is incredible for scholarship recipients because we can support more students and their journey in medicine.

2022-2023

Mariana De Pary Baroni

M.D. candidate, Class of 2024, Baylor College of Medicine

2021-2022

Marina Mamdouh Rofaeil, M.D.

Class of 2022, Baylor College of Medicine

Anesthesiology Residency, Baylor College of Medicine

2020-2021

Easton Lee West, M.D.

Class of 2022, Baylor College of Medicine

Radiology Residency, Baylor College of Medicine

Marina Mamdouh Rofaeil, M.D.

Class of 2022, Baylor College of Medicine

Anesthesiology Residency, Baylor College of Medicine

2019-2020

Junru Yan, M.D.

Class of 2021, Baylor College of Medicine

Ophthalmology Residency, University of California, Los Angeles

2018-2019

Victor Albornoz-Alvarez, M.D.

Class of 2023, Baylor College of Medicine

Otolaryngology Residency, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Madeline Paige Rippstein, M.D.

Class of 2019, Baylor College of Medicine
Pediatrics Residency, University of Utah

Clinical Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

2017-2018

Matthew Bruce, M.D.

Class of 2018, Baylor College of Medicine
Internal Medicine Residency, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Cardiology Fellowship, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

2016-2017

Gabriel Oaxaca, M.D.

Class of 2017, Baylor College of Medicine
Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency and Dermatopathology Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Dermatopathologist, Sagis

2015-2016

Xinqi Ren, M.D.

Class of 2018, Baylor College of Medicine
Family Medicine Residency, Baylor College of Medicine

Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine

2014-2015

Joseph Armstrong, M.D.

Class of 2016, Baylor College of Medicine
Urology Residency, University of Utah School of Medicine

Urologist, Revere Health

Claudia Wei, M.D.

Class of 2017, Baylor College of Medicine
Anesthesiology Residency, Baylor College of Medicine
Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship, Texas Heart Institute

Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology, Baylor College of Medicine

2013-2014

Patricia Rodriguez, M.D.

Class of 2017, Baylor College of Medicine
Anesthesiology Residency, University of Washington

Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellow, Seattle Children’s Hospital

2012-2013

Daniel Kim, M.D.

Class of 2013, Baylor College of Medicine
Emergency Medicine Residency, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Physician, Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

A Place of Discovery

As friends and advocates of Baylor, you are integral to the success of our efforts. We want to share some of Baylor’s most promising research with you. You can learn about the College’s recent discoveries here at From The Labs.

Rutledge Valdes Endowed Scholarship Fund Update 

Continuing the Journey 

We hope you enjoyed learning about how the scholarship has made a difference in the lives of so many students who are carrying on Dr. Rutledge’s legacy. If you would like to continue your support of this scholarship, I invite you to visit this link and make a donation. All amounts help Baylor trainees on their medical journey and enables them to become our future doctors. 

Sincerely,  
– Dr. Cecilia T. Valdes and family