NYITCOM at A-State’s Grubb Receives Inaugural Ritter Family Foundation Scholarship

JONESBORO, AR – Kirsten Grubb, a third-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University ([nyit.edu/arkansas]NYITCOM at A-State), has been awarded the inaugural Ritter Family Foundation scholarship, the medical school and the foundation announced Thursday.

The Ritter Family Foundation scholarship was established last fall to financially support medical students who are from the Delta region of Arkansas and/or aspire to ultimately practice in the region. The foundation is operated by Ritter family members as well as current and retired employees of E. Ritter & Company, a fifth-generation, family-owned business founded in 1889 and headquartered in Marked Tree.

“The Ritter Family Foundation is passionate about helping address the needs of Arkansas communities like the ones that multiple generations of our family have served for decades,” said Erik Kesting, E. Ritter & Company CEO. “NYITCOM at A-State’s commitment to improving access to healthcare in rural Arkansas aligns perfectly with our foundation’s mission. We are incredibly proud to support NYITCOM at A-State’s future physicians through this scholarship.”

Scholarship applicants were required to submit a brief essay explaining why they aspire to practice in a medically-underserved Arkansas community.

Grubb, a Paragould native who completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama before returning to Northeast Arkansas for medical school, plans to specialize in emergency medicine upon graduation from NYITCOM.

“I can’t thank the Ritter Family Foundation enough for their generous support,” Grubb said. “I grew up in a rural part of our state and my family has certainly been effected the physician shortage that exists here. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to eventually practice in Northeast Arkansas and serve my community through medicine.”

The mission of Ritter Family Foundation is to support and strengthen the communities it serves by providing resources, leadership, and necessary collaboration to meet local needs. The foundation prioritizes grant requests that address hunger relief, education, affordable housing, and health. Ritter Arnold, a Ritter family member who is involved with the foundation, has served as a member of the NYITCOM at A-State Dean’s Advisory Board since its inception in 2016.

NYITCOM at A-State opened in 2016 through a private/public partnership between Arkansas State University and New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York. NYITCOM at A-State operates in Wilson Hall on A-State’s Jonesboro campus and was created with a pointed focus of training physicians to address the growing shortage in Arkansas and the region.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Ritter Family Foundation for their continued support of our efforts to impact healthcare in the places that need it most,” said Shane Speights, D.O., dean of NYITCOM at A-State. “The foundation’s support through this scholarship will help us recruit and retain aspiring doctors who will stay in this area to practice and live out the mission of our institution and that of the Ritter Family Foundation. It’s a huge win for us all.”