FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 22, 2001

University of California Office of the President
Charles McFadden
(510) 987-9193
Charles.McFadden@ucop.edu

CORNELIUS L. HOPPER HONORED AS FIRST RECIPIENT OF NATIONAL MEDICAL FELLOWSHIPS FOUNDER'S AWARD

Cornelius L. Hopper, M.D., vice president for health affairs emeritus of the University of California, is the recipient of the first National Medical Fellowships Founder's Award.

The National Medical Fellowships, a private nonprofit organization, was founded in 1946 to provide financial aid to African-American medical students. Its founder, Dr. Franklin C. McLean, dedicated himself to increasing the number of African-American physicians to expand the delivery of health care in minority communities.

To date, National Medical Fellowships has distributed more than 23,000 grants totaling more than $36 million in scholarships and fellowships to African-American, Mexican-American, American Indian and Puerto Rican medical students nationwide.

New York-based National Medical Fellowships opened an office in San Francisco in 1999. In fiscal 2000-01, it disbursed $269,412 in need-based scholarships, fellowships and awards in California.

"Con Hopper is a medical statesman of the very first rank," UC President Richard C. Atkinson said. "National Medical Fellowships could not have chosen a more appropriate person to honor with its first Founder's Award."

Hopper is being honored for a medical career that took him from rural Alabama to the leadership of a huge academic medical enterprise.

Hopper retired in October 1999 after 20 years with the University of California. As vice president for health affairs, he presided over long-range planning and policy development for a statewide health sciences academic establishment that is the nation's largest, encompassing 14 health professions schools that enroll 13,000 students and provide clinical training in UC's major medical centers and affiliated hospitals throughout the state.

Before joining the University of California, Hopper brought together a network of physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners and administrators to create a multi-county primary care network in rural south central Alabama.

Shortly after his formal retirement, Hopper, at Atkinson's request, took on the job of chairing a 14-member Medical Student Diversity Task Force, appointed in response to a seven-year downward trend in the enrollment of underrepresented minority students in medical schools. In its November 2000 report, the task force made a number of recommendations for improving educational opportunities and encouraging more minority student enrollment in medical school.

Hopper currently serves as chair of the Board of Regents at Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, CA. He is a member of the California Health Manpower Commission and is also evaluating a number of post-Soviet hospital partnerships established by the American International Health Alliance with financial help from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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