Berkshire District Medical Society Officers 2013-2014
President: Basil Michaels, M.D.
President-Elect:
Secretary: Matt Mandel, MD
Treasurer: Michael Kaplan, M.D.
Contact Information
E-mail: berkshire@massmed.org
Mailing Address:
85 Post Office Park, Suite 8518
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Phone: (800) 522-3112 or (413) 596-9231
Fax: (413) 596-9901
District Event/Activity Contact: MMS West
Central Regional Office, 800-522-3112
Berkshire District News
Dr. Paula Aucoin is Honored by Berkshire District Medical Society as 2013 Community Clinician of the Year
High School Doctor for a Day
Berkshire holds an annual High School Doctor for a Day
program designed to provide a mentoring experience for serious high
school juniors or seniors. The program assists young people who
have expressed an interest in the field of medicine to have
hands-on experience in the complex health care environment.
Medical School Scholarship Loan
A scholarship loan of $1,000 per year for medical students who are
residents of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, was established in
September 1961 when the members approved of a yearly assessment to
fund the program. The amount was increased to $1,500 in 1974, and
in recent years up to $5,000 has been awarded.
Scholarships require that recipients be bona fide residents of
Berkshire County already accepted at an approved medical school in
the United States or Canada. Funds will be paid directly to the
school of choice.
The award, known as the Berkshire District Medical Society
Revolving Scholarship Loan, was established on a revolving basis so
that the repaid funds would help as many medical students as
possible. Recipients sign agreements pledging to begin repayment of
the scholarship loan--unsecured and bearing no interest--the year
of graduation, half of the amount to be repaid in four years and
the balance in two additional years. This is regarded as a moral
obligation and is treated as a contribution to provide more
scholarships in the future. Recipients are asked to consider
serving residencies in Berkshire County hospitals.
Scholarship requests should be directed to c/o Susan Poulin, Berkshire District Scholarship Administrator, 20 Walnut Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201. The deadline each year is April 15
VIM Berkshires
VIM Berkshires is the result of a
shared dream on the part of many individuals who live in the
southern Berkshires: opening a free healthcare clinic to serve the
thousands of people living in the southern Berkshire area and
adjacent towns in New York and Connecticut who work without
employer-provided health insurance, who do not qualify for
governmental assistance programs and who are not financially able
to purchase individual healthcare. Group leaders visited the Cape
May Courthouse, NJ, West Chester, PA, and Red Bank, NJ Volunteers
in Medicine clinics as well as other free clinics in the Northeast.
They became convinced that a volunteer clinic in the southern
Berkshires was crucial to closing some of the healthcare gaps
facing our community. For more information please visit the
website: www.vimberkshires.org
