A new scholarship for medical students in honour of Dr. James King has been launched by Butterfield Bank and Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB).

Medical practitioner and community leader Dr. King retired as chairman of the bank’s board last month. The bi-annual award in his name will provide $40,000 a year to a full-time Bermudian medical student for the final two years of their four-year medical degree.

Venetta Symonds, BHB’s deputy chief executive officer, said: “Bermuda Hospitals Board already provides excellent training and development programmes for students and interns but there has long been a void in the range of private sector scholarships and bursaries available to support Bermudians studying medicine abroad.

“The Dr. James A.C. King Medical Scholarship fills this gap. We are very pleased and grateful to work with Butterfield Bank to make this scholarship a reality.”

Scholarship winners - to be chosen by a committee of representatives from the bank and the hospitals board - will be expected to return to Bermuda to practice medicine with BHB for an agreed period after completion of their degrees and medical residencies. Those planning to specialise in an under-represented field of medicine on the Island will be given preference.

Mrs. Symonds said: “The scholarship will hopefully encourage Bermudians into healthcare by supporting them through their education. It will benefit both the individual and the healthcare system in Bermuda over the long term. I can think of no better way for the hospital and the bank to honour the legacy of this fine physician.”

Alan Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Butterfield Bank, said: “When Dr. King retired from the board after nearly 30 years of service to the bank we wanted to find a special way to say thank you.

“Through our community involvement and ongoing work with the hospital, we know that BHB is always looking for creative ways to ensure that cost-effective, high-quality medical care continues to be available to Island residents; so the scholarship was a natural fit. It allows us to recognise the contributions of Dr. King to our organisation and the community and helps fill a real need — something that I know is important to Dr. King.”

The first recipient of the scholarship is expected to be named this autumn.