Scholarship supports future physician’s mission to serve
Posted on October 14, 2026
Jacques C. Mbongue, Ph.D.
Jacques C. Mbongue, Ph.D., a first-year medical student at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, has received a State of Alabama Board of Medical Scholarship Award to support his medical education and future service in rural Alabama.
The scholarship program aims to address the shortage of primary care physicians and improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved communities across the state.
For Mbongue, the opportunity is deeply personal. He lost his brother to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, an inherited disorder that can leave red blood cells vulnerable to oxidative damage. The experience strengthened his commitment to becoming the kind of physician his brother needed.
“I come from a part of the world where rural communities often lack access to knowledgeable physicians,” Mbongue said. “I believe timely, informed medical care could have changed my brother’s outcome. That loss shaped my commitment to medicine and my determination to be available for families facing similar barriers.”
Mbongue hopes to serve rural Alabama communities by building trust with patients and helping them take an active role in their healthcare.
“I hope to help restore the trust that many underserved communities have lost in the healthcare system by listening, building meaningful relationships, and providing compassionate care,” he said. “Through education, I want to empower people to understand their health and take an active role in their care. This scholarship supports a mission that is deeply personal to me: helping ensure that where someone lives does not prevent them from receiving the care they need.”
Before entering medical school at the University of South Alabama, Mbongue served as an assistant professor of physiology and health sciences at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. He earned his Ph.D. in physiology from Loma Linda University in California.
