Holly Moody-PorterNearly the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland is federally designated as a medically underserved area — where residents often face long wait times for care or must travel an hour or more to access basic health services. The need is especially acute in Caroline County, where there is just one primary care provider for every 2,500 residents. In fact, all five Maryland counties with the lowest number of primary care physicians per capita are located on the Shore.
The University of Maryland School of Medicine is directly addressing this crisis through its Rural-MD Scholars Program — an ambitious, high-impact initiative designed to build a sustainable physician workforce for the region’s nearly 500,000 residents.
Accelerating this effort is a transformational $2.4 million investment from the Philip A. Zaffere Foundation. This major gift funds two full-tuition scholarships for incoming medical students — removing one of the most significant barriers to entering medicine and enabling the program to recruit and retain talent committed to serving communities most in need.
The results are already tangible. Twelve Rural-MD Scholars are currently supported through the program, each committed to returning to the Eastern Shore to provide care for at least four years following residency in primary care or a specialty field. This is not a short-term intervention — it is a long-term pipeline designed to expand access, stabilize care delivery, and improve health outcomes across the region.
The foundation’s investment reflects both vision and urgency. Named for Eastern Shore entrepreneur Philip Zaffere — who built a small family bakery into a nationally recognized enterprise — the foundation prioritizes education, human services, and community advancement. This gift embodies that mission, creating lasting infrastructure for health equity.
“The Eastern Shore was not only Philip Zaffere’s home, but a place he was deeply committed to strengthening,” said trustees Phyllis C. Friedman and Louis F. Friedman. “This innovative program opens the door for students who might not otherwise pursue medicine — and in doing so, has the potential to dramatically improve access to care across the entire region. We are proud to support a solution of this scale and significance.”
Through strategic investment and bold program design, UMSOM and the Zaffere Foundation are not only addressing physician shortages — they are redefining what equitable access to care can look like for rural Maryland.
Dedication of UMSOM’s Partners
Scholarship funding has come from the state as well as from philanthropic donors. The program’s long-term goal is to ultimately support 10 Rural-MD Scholars per year with 10 full in-state tuition scholarships.
“We are deeply grateful for the support of the Philip A. Zaffere Foundation in helping our students fulfill their commitment to ensuring that Eastern Shore residents receive the medical care they need to live healthy, thriving lives,” said Leah Millstein, MD, Rural-MD Program director and associate professor of medicine at UMSOM. “The reach and impact of this program would not be possible without the dedication of community members and our partners.”
Since its launch, the program has established several partnerships with local physicians and health organizations to provide students with various clinical experiences in rural health throughout their training including the Maryland Rural Council; University of Maryland Eastern Shore; University of Maryland Shore Regional Health; TidalHealth; the Dorchester, Somerset, and Wicomico County health departments; Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center; and the Maryland Area Health Education Center.
“With four counties on the Eastern Shore among the top five in Maryland for infant and child mortality, we must continue to address the crucial need to expand the physician workforce in our rural communities,” said UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, who is also the vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor of UMSOM.
Lifelong Passion for Science
Mr. Zaffere was born in 1930 in Federalsburg, Md., a small town in Caroline County on the Eastern Shore. Under his leadership, his family business, Zaffere’s Bakery, evolved into Shoreman Food Technologies and became a key supplier for major brands such as Stove Top Stuffing and Mrs. Paul’s frozen foods.
Although the demands of the family business interrupted his college studies, Mr. Zaffere maintained a lifelong passion for science and engineering, along with a strong commitment to education and community service. The Philip A. Zaffere Foundation continues to support UMSOM and also endowed the Philip A. Zaffere Distinguished Professorship in Regenerative Medicine in 2022.
