A local obstetrician and gynecologist has endowed a scholarship with the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

According to a MUSOM press release, Dr. Bruce Ratcliff M.D. created the scholarship to honor his father, Dr. Gilbert A. Ratcliff Sr., and his brother, Dr. Gilbert “Gil” A. Ratcliff Jr.

The scholarship is for first-year Marshall medical students “with strong academic backgrounds and financial need.” The award can be renewed for three additional years pending normal academic progress.

“As a member of a medical family, my brother and I are fortunate to practice medicine and educate future physicians at the School of Medicine,” said Bruce Ratcliff in the press release. “Our father instilled in the two of us the need to help others, be committed to life-long learning and to make a difference. By endowing this scholarship, we are fulfilling my father’s life lessons in helping future physicians.”

Ratcliff has practiced in the Huntington area for more than forty years. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and joined Marshall in 1999.

“[Dr. Ratcliff] has seen a number of students benefit from scholarships, and it’s great that he wants to support students like that,” said Sheanna Spence, assistant director for alumni affairs and community relations. “I’ve seen a lot of the medical school give back to the program, and it’s really encouraging to watch and be a part of.”