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Honoring the dreams of a fallen soldier

Foundation renames scholarship

Natalie Cammarata, Colleen Kiphart, Anita Martin and Karoline Lane contributed to this story.

Cpl. Joshua S. Harmon wanted to become a physician. A combat medic serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Harmon and 13 fellow soldiers died when their helicopter crashed while returning from a mission in 2007.

In memory of Cpl. Harmon, the board of the Northeastern Ohio Healthcare Foundation decided to rename one of its four Jerry A. Zinni, D.O., Memorial Scholarships after the Mentor, Ohio, serviceman.

“Cpl. Harmon was a young man we lost way too soon, along with his comrades,” says William Saar, D.O., a member of the foundation’s board. “He wanted to go on to be a physician, and now we will not be able to see that happen, so we wanted to do something in his memory.”

Established in 2000, the original scholarship was named after Zinni, a leader and champion of the osteopathic medical profession, who in 1960 founded the not-for-profit Richmond Heights General Hospital, where Cpl. Harmon was trained as a paramedic.

Today, the Northeastern Ohio Healthcare Foundation carries on an essential part of the hospital’s original mission and Zinni’s vision—helping disadvantaged patient populations, improving community health care and furthering osteopathic medical education.

Every fourth Zinni scholarship given will now be called the Joshua S. Harmon Memorial Scholarship. Last year, Elyssa Rubertino, OMS III, was named the inaugural Harmon Scholar. Both the Harmon Scholarship and the Zinni Scholarships are designed to follow student recipients through all four years of medical school, awarding them each $10,000 annually, although recipients must reapply each year.

“These awards are, first and foremost, about helping others and instilling the sense of giving,” says Sharon Zimmerman, M.P.A., director of medical development.

Diane Lui, OMS II

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