Second-year Campbell University medical student Samantha Wegner has earned a 2025 American Osteopathic Foundation’s Sterling K. Welch Scholarship.
The scholarship is awarded annually to students of osteopathic medicine with financial need, as well as strong academic achievement, participation in volunteer service activities and a strong commitment to osteopathic medicine, the AOF website says.
Drs. Robert Agnello and James Cappola of the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine lent support to Wegner as she pursued the scholarship.
Wegner has an impressive record of accomplishment as a scholar, as Coppola points out in his nomination letter. She volunteers for the student-run Campbell University Community Care Clinics (CUCCC), having served as vice president for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and, in her current role, Behavioral Health and Wellness manager.
“It has been a very great opportunity to work with several of my peers, as well as a unique population of patients,” Wegner says. “We were able to see another side of medicine, such as discussing behavior modification or more encouraging self-talk to aid with pharmacologic options.
“I feel like the clinic has been a great way to give back to this community and apply what I have been learning.”
Other research projects include the impact of biologic therapies for psoriasis on cardiometabolic comorbidities and the relationship between food sensitivities and affective disorders, writes Cappola, chair and associate professor of Internal Medicine at Campbell.
Wegner, too, serves as an academic tutor for first-year students.
“Beyond her academic performance, Samantha is a leader among her peers and has demonstrated a deep commitment to community outreach and to the care of the underserved,” Cappola says.
In a letter supporting her to work as a medical student volunteer at Camp Discovery, Agnello says Wegner brings a personal warmth and resilience that deeply resonates with children.
Camp Discovery is a program of the American Academy of Dermatology Association offering children living with a chronic skin condition a one-of-a-kind camp experience, the AADA website says.
“Her application to serve children with chronic skin conditions aligns seamlessly with her passion for dermatology and her commitment to fostering supportive, inclusive environments — qualities that make her an ideal candidate for this role,” Agnello writes. “She is poised to create lasting, positive memories for the campers while advancing the camp’s mission of support and empowerment.”
Earlier this year, Wegner traveled with Campbell faculty and student peers to Sierra Leone on a mission trip with the CUCCC, helping to care for patients in underserved, rural communities and distributing critical medications and offering osteopathic manipulative treatment.
“She even put together an educational session presenting dermatologic conditions she encountered on the mission trip,” Agnello writes.
Wegner was born in North Dakota, where she lived until she was 14. She moved to Florida for high school and college, attending the University of South Florida in Tampa and majoring in Exercise Science.
“The location of Campbell being in North Carolina was a big draw for me, as well as it being a Christian school,” Wegner says. “My faith has always been very important to me, and I knew I wanted a supportive, welcoming environment for medical school.”