Faustino Bernadett’s Scholarship: 2026 Medical Humanities Award Recipients
- Bernadett
- Mar 2
- 4 min read
The American Osler Society and the 2026 Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Award Program
Launched in 2024, the American Osler Society International Medical Student Scholarship Award was brought to life through the generosity of Faustino Bernadett and his wife, Martha. Their philanthropic leadership established a permanent endowment to support the scholarship’s mission for generations to come. In recognition of their contribution, the award proudly carries the Bernadett family name.
This initiative reflects Dr. Bernadett’s commitment to advancing thoughtful scholarship that connects medicine with the humanities and the history of medical practice. A passionate advocate for educational opportunity and healthcare equity, he envisioned a program that would challenge medical students to look beyond clinical training and engage with the broader cultural and historical forces that shape patient care. Through his generosity, the scholarship is positioned to expand its reach and influence in meaningful ways.
In addition to his financial support, Tino Bernadett lent his insight and experience by serving on the 2025 Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Award Committee. Though retired from clinical medicine, he remains deeply involved in initiatives that promote learning, mentorship, and philanthropy.
About the Scholarship
The Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Program allows two medical students enrolled in U.S. or Canadian medical schools to pursue research in the medical humanities by utilizing the rare books, archives, artifacts, and other resources housed in institutions across the United Kingdom.
As an interdisciplinary field, the medical humanities encompass the history of medicine, literature, visual and performing arts, film, music, philosophy, medical anthropology, and sociology. The award encourages innovative proposals that integrate these disciplines into the study and practice of medicine.
2026 Award Recipients
Samia Cherkaoui
Samia Cherkaoui, a second-year medical student at McGill University in Montreal, has been awarded a Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship for her project titled “From Skull Fracture to Safety Protocols: Sir Hugh Cairns, Neurosurgical Reform, and the Modern Legacy of Trauma Care.”
During the Second World War, British military hospitals documented increasing numbers of severe head injuries among motorcycle dispatch riders. Sir Hugh Cairns, responsible for organizing wartime neurosurgical services, recognized that these injuries displayed patterned skull fractures suggesting preventable mortality. Samia’s project will use archival research in the United Kingdom to trace how Cairns transformed clinical observations into neurosurgical reform, trauma-care reorganization, and national safety protocols, including the promotion of helmet use. Her work will consult archives at the Wellcome Collection, the Royal College of Surgeons, the Bodleian Libraries, and The National Archives to examine Cairns’s clinical, institutional, and governmental influence on trauma systems.
Samia reflected on the award:
"I am quietly and deeply grateful to the American Osler Society for granting me the Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship. Working in archives across the United Kingdom will allow me to engage with the lives that shaped early neurosurgical reform. These encounters will influence how I research and write, and how I will one day teach and practice. I carry this trust with care, and I will honor it through the kind of physician I am becoming."
Her research is guided by an international, multidisciplinary mentorship team including Dr. Jonathan Atwood (University of Oxford), Dr. Delia Gavrus (University of Winnipeg), and Dr. Thomas Schlich (McGill University).
Tova Tachau
Tova Tachau, a first-year medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship for her project titled “Behind the Doors of the Dissection Room and Between the Pages of Student Diaries: Exploring the Affective Responses of Medical Students to Dissection in 19th-Century England.”
Tova’s project examines sixteen undigitized letters and diaries of nineteenth-century English medical students, supplemented by notes of anatomy lecturers, to uncover the emotional and ethical responses to cadaveric dissection. Her research will contextualize these responses alongside major legislative milestones, including the Apothecaries Act of 1815, the Anatomy Act of 1832, and the Medical Act of 1858, and compare nineteenth-century reflections to twentieth-century sociological studies of medical students’ emotional development.
Tova shared:
"I am beyond grateful to the Osler Society for continuing to support the invaluable work of humanists and historians in the field of medicine. The Bernadett Scholarship will empower me to continue conducting literary and historical research throughout my medical education, and I hope to one day incorporate the humanities and social sciences into medical school curriculum."
Her project is mentored by Dr. D. Brian Kim at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Looking Ahead
The American Osler Society is honored to support future physicians who are passionate about integrating humanities into medical education and practice. Thanks to the vision and generosity of the Bernadett Family, the scholarship will continue to inspire and empower students to explore the historical and cultural dimensions of medicine.
We look forward to the discoveries and contributions that Samia and Tova will bring to the field and express our gratitude to everyone involved in the continued success of this program.
Award Program Overview
Applications for the 2026 award numbered three, a slight decrease from the previous year due to an added requirement that applicants submit a signed statement confirming no AI tools were used to complete the application.
Over the first two years, nine applications were received from three North American universities, with four awards granted.
Completed awards from 2025 included Reda Hessi, who is now completing a manuscript based on his research.
Awardees have hailed from McGill University, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, and the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
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