Congratulations to third-year podiatry students Parneet Kaur and Julio Gutierrez for being awarded the Podiatry Insurance Company of America Scholarship. This $5,000 scholarship is given to third-year Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine (BUSPM) students with a minimum 3.0 GPA, demonstrated commitment to community service, and participation in a BUSPM club or research project.
Kaur has been involved in community service and research since her undergrad years at the University of California, Davis, where she graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology, physiology and behavior. While at Barry, she has dedicated community service hours to many causes, including Special Olympics, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and several clinics and shelters for those experiencing homelessness. Kaur currently serves as the president of the Podiatric Medical Missions Association and vice-president of the American Association for Women Podiatrists.
Kaur is currently involved in a research project titled “Neurofibromatosis and Surgical Correction of Angular Deformity Using External Fixation Device.” Her future goals include establishing free clinics in areas of the world where health care is inaccessible.
Gutierrez, a Miami native, is already a proud, two-time Barry alumnus, having completed his bachelor’s in biology in 2013 and his master’s in biomedical sciences in 2016. As an undergrad student he was involved in student government, eventually becoming vice president. His passion for involvement with government led him, as an undergrad student, to represent Barry in Tallahassee to help secure state grants for Barry students and, as a podiatry student, to Washington, D.C., to meet members of congress to advocate for legislation to classify podiatrists as physicians within the VA system.
As a BUSPM student he currently serves as the president of the Class of 2020 and president of the Diabetes Club. Gutierrez joined Jose’s Hands on a medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic in 2017, where he helped provide basic medical care to people in impoverished areas. He has dedicated other community service hours to causes such as Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and several clinics and shelters for people in our community experiencing homelessness.
Gutierrez’s future goals include working for a teaching hospital, where he will be able to help train future podiatrists and also to continue advocating for the profession of podiatric medicine on local and national levels.