Groton resident Mary Di Buono, a student at St. Joseph University, is one of two students to receive a scholarship this spring from the Connecticut Physician Assistant Foundation.

The scholarships were handed out at the annual business meeting of the Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants at the Mystic Marriott.

Di Buono received the Jeffrey Heinrich Scholarship for $2,000, awarded to PA students who are highly dedicated to volunteer service. As a volunteer firefighter and EMT at the Old Mystic Fire Department in Mystic, Di Buono said the scholarship would help her pay for housing and fuel expenses as she enters her clinical year of PA education.

“I am honored to receive this scholarship as community service is important to me,” Di Buono said. “The rigorous nature of USJ’s PA program has prepared me well for clinical rotations and practice.”

As the philanthropic arms of the Connecticut Academy of PAs, the Connecticut PA Foundation started handing out scholarships in 1980 and has given many thousands of dollars to physician assistant students to support their studies.

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