Investing in the Next Generation: How Dr. Andrew Hummel Is Tackling Medicine’s Physician Shortage

Dr. Andrew Hummel is a board-certified anesthesiologist and a former Medical Director of Anesthesiology at Citizens Memorial Hospital. He has launched the Dr. Andrew Hummel Scholarship for Medical Students. This scholarship comes with a $1,000 scholarship to reduce the financial burden on medical studies for hardworking students.

Key Takeaways

• Andrew Hummel has launched the Dr. Andrew Hummel Scholarship for Medical Students, a $1,000 award supporting medical and pre-medical students committed to careers in healthcare.
• His mentorship extends beyond the operating room. He also prepares anesthesiology residents for the ABA’s APPLIED examination as a mock oral board examiner.
• The application deadline is January 15, 2027, and the winner will be announced on February 15, 2027.

The United States is headed in the direction of a major gap in the medical workforce. According to a study by Stout, almost 30% of practicing anesthesiologists are expected to leave the field by 2033. These consequences are felt the most by rural communities. With the retirement of experienced physicians, training pipelines fail to keep pace. This further causes local hospitals to struggle, leading to community patients paying the price.

However, the crisis does not start at retirement. It starts with the financial burden on students trying to enter medicine in the first place.

The Real Cost of Becoming a Physician

The cost of becoming a physician in the United States is not just financial. It is also emotional, physical, and psychological. For the average medical school graduate, it is common to carry a student debt of more than $200,000. Years of licensing exams, residency, and certification also follow. As a result, many talented students, especially those from modest backgrounds or underserved communities, never make it through.

This is the place where the physician shortage begins. It does not begin in the hospitals. Instead, it starts with the financial barriers that cause capable students of medicine to back out before a real clinical experience. Therefore, it becomes relevant to invest upstream in the next generation of physicians to address the shortage.

One Physician’s Response to the Pipeline Problem

Dr. Andrew Hummel, MD, knows the path to becoming a doctor intimately. As a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine and a former resident at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, he built his career the way most physicians do. And he did it through extraordinary effort at demanding institutions, under significant pressure, and with very little financial backing.

That firsthand experience is what led Dr. Hummel to take direct action. He launched the Dr. Andrew Hummel Scholarship for Medical Students, a $1,000 financial award designed to reduce the burden on hardworking students who are committed to careers in medicine.

What the Scholarship Offers

The Dr. Andrew Hummel Scholarship for Medical Students is open to students currently enrolled at accredited universities who are pursuing a degree in medical sciences or are already enrolled in medical school. Undergraduate students on a pre-medical track are also eligible to apply.

There are no geographical restrictions. Students from anywhere in the United States can apply. It is because Dr. Hummel believes that talent and dedication should be the only filters, not zip codes or institutional affiliation.

To apply, candidates must submit an original essay of 500 to 600 words responding to a prompt about how compassionate leadership and clinical excellence work together to improve patient outcomes in modern healthcare. The selection process prioritizes clarity, original thought, and a demonstrated passion for medicine. Generic answers are discouraged; applicants are expected to draw on their own emerging perspective on what it means to lead and serve in the field.

The application deadline is January 15, 2027, and the winner will be announced on February 15, 2027. The reward is timed to provide support during the spring academic term. Submission guidelines and the application portal are available at drandrewhummelscholarship.com.

The Credentials Behind the Commitment

Dr. Hummel is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) and a six-time recipient of the 417 Top Doctor Award in Anesthesiology. He served as Medical Director of Anesthesiology at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Missouri, where he oversaw clinical operations, quality assurance, and provider performance for nearly a decade.

He currently practices across multiple clinical settings, with expertise in general anesthesia, regional and neuraxial techniques, orthopedics, obstetric anesthesia, and pain management. He is also one of the few anesthesiologists with specialized training in Iovera° cryoneurolysis for pre-surgical opioid-sparing care.

Other than for clinical work, Dr. Andrew Hummel, an anesthesiologist, also operates as a mock oral board examiner at JustOralBoards.com. Through this, he guides anesthesiology residents and fellows through high-pressure simulations of the ABA APPLIED examination. Dr. Hummel, investing in physician education isn’t just something incidental. Instead, he believes, it is his clinical responsibility to mentor the next generation of physicians. That responsibility is reflected in this scholarship.

Missouri, Medicine, and the Bigger Picture

Dr. Hummel earned his MD from UMKC, a Missouri institution with a strong record of producing physicians for underserved regions. He has decided to base the scholarship in Missouri, while keeping it open to students from all backgrounds and institutions nationwide. This reflects a deliberate commitment to the medical future of the country, not just one state.

The Dr. Andrew Hummel Scholarship is more than a financial award. It is a direct investment in the physicians who will eventually staff hospitals, lead departments, and serve patients in communities that need them most. In a field facing a workforce crisis, that kind of upstream investment matters.

A Mentor Who Knows What the Students Go Through

What makes Dr. Hummel’s initiative meaningful is not just the dollar amount but the story behind it. He is not a distant benefactor writing checks from a comfortable distance. He remains active as both a clinician and an educator, sitting across the table from the next generation of anesthesiologists, running mock oral exams, identifying gaps, and helping residents feel prepared before certification pressure hits.

If you are a student ready to reflect on what it means to lead with compassion and practice with clinical precision, the Dr. Andrew Hummel Scholarship for Medical Students is waiting for you. Visit and apply before January 15, 2027.