Baxter Scholars Award Winners Announced

Tennessee State University (TSU) students Camille Haskins and George Pickens are the inaugural recipients of the Baxter Scholars Award, a program established as part of our recent commitment to fund $1.2 million in scholarships and grants to expand the pipeline of Black students in health and sciences fields at three historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

A component of Baxter’s ACT: Activating Change Today initiative, two students a year for the next three years will receive $135,000 each while enrolled in the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Medical, Dental and Accelerated Pathway Program, a shared program between TSU and Meharry Medical College. The accelerated pipeline program prepares qualified TSU students for early acceptance to Meharry, where students will spend three years in pre-medical courses of study at TSU before being admitted to and enrolling at Meharry to study medicine or dentistry. The Pathway Program participants will complete their undergraduate and medical school studies in seven years, instead of the customary eight years.

Camille Haskins

Camille Haskins grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, home to one of the strongest and most prosperous Black communities in the United States.

Camille was fortunate to have been raised in a community where Black doctors, teachers, and leaders were the norm; her upbringing has instilled in her both a passion for education and a strong sense of determination that she will pass on to others.

Throughout her career in medicine, Camille wants to impart trust and confidence in medicine to underserved communities. More importantly, Camille would like to pass on the benefit of having Black mentors to the next generation in order to encourage change and racial justice in underserved communities around the U.S.

Camille feels honored to be part of the inaugural class of the Dr. Levi Watkins program and is eager to begin her journey to a career in medicine and her role as a leader.

George Pickens, IV

George Pickens IV is from Miami, Florida and is a current TSU student.

An active member in academic and community-building pursuits, George spearheads symposiums geared towards combating mental health issues in underserved communities and mending relationships between youth and law enforcement.

George has a keen interest in the sciences and has a devout passion for assisting others daily. In the future, he plans to become a family care physician coupled with research to identify the correlation between race and certain diseases. He also plans on providing affordable healthcare to marginalized communities.

Congratulations to Camille and George on receiving the inaugural Baxter Scholars Award and thank you for the meaningful impact you are contributing to the communities you serve.