Kathryn Gerbo ’20 Awarded Postgraduate Scholarship to St Andrews She will earn her master’s in digital health before attending medical school.

By Louise Uffelman
August 17, 2021

Kathryn Gerbo ’20, a mathematics major, will be attending the University of  St Andrews in Scotland this academic year on an R&A Ransome Scholarship, which will fully fund her M.Sc. in digital health. Only three Ransome Scholarships are awarded each year to applicants from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Gerbo is the fourth W&L student to receive the award since it was launched in 1994.

Gerbo had visited St Andrews during the University Singers’ 2019 spring tour and hoped to return one day, hopefully as a graduate student. Her interest in digital health, which focuses on the use of technology and data analytics to address health care challenges, was sparked by “the drastic increase in telehealth brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. In her home state of West Virginia, she noted “many have to drive hours to the nearest healthcare facility, so digital health solutions would make a particularly positive impact there.”

Gerbo chose St Andrews “because pursuing a degree in the United Kingdom will allow me to learn the strengths and weaknesses of a healthcare system differing from the U.S. and to see where and how the American system can be improved.”

At W&L, Gerbo, who held the Elizabeth M. & J. Edward Lewis ’29 Memorial Scholarship, was a member of the University Singers and served on the Panhellenic Council. After completing her master’s, she will be attending West Virginia University School of Medicine, where she hopes to incorporate her interests in both rural health and women’s health.

“I’m looking forward to traveling in the UK and other parts of Europe and learning about the history of St Andrews as the oldest university in Scotland,” said Gerbo. “Mostly, I am excited to meet other students from around the world and represent the U.S.”

The R&A Ransome Scholarship was established in 1994 as the Dr. Ernest L. Ransome III Scholarship, as a way for the friends and associates of Dr. Ransome to recognize his commitment to philanthropy, education and athletics. The scholarship’s mission is to enrich the experience of deserving postgraduate students by affording them the opportunity to attend the University of St Andrews.

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