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Beverly & Everod Coleman REACH Scholarship

at Harvard Medical School

Benefactor Report

March 2026

Table of Contents

01.

Letter from the Dean for Medical Education 

02.

Student Profiles

Letter from the Dean for Medical Education 

 Bernard S. Chang AB ’93, MD, MMSc ’05

Bernard S. Chang,

AB ’93, MD, MMSc ’05

Bernard S. Chang AB '93, MD, MMSc '05 | Dean for Medical Education | Daniel D. Federman, MD Professor of Neurology and Medical Education
 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115 | t: (617) 432-6250 | e: Bernard_Chang@hms.harvard.edu
March 10, 2026
Dear Drs. Coleman,
Thank you for your generous support of Harvard Medical School’s REACH Scholarship Program through the Beverly & Everod Coleman REACH Scholarship. Your commitment enables admitted students with significant financial need to pursue an HMS education without incurring additional debt, allowing them to focus fully on their studies and follow their passions. Our REACH scholars—who embody the values of Resilience, Excellence, Achievement, Compassion, and Helping the underserved—strengthen our community with their diverse experiences and dedication to advancing health care. I’m pleased to provide you with updates on the 2025–2026 recipient of the Beverly & Everod Coleman REACH Scholarship, who can pursue his medical education with greater confidence thanks to your generosity.

This year, 23 first‑year medical students received REACH scholarships, bringing the total number of current recipients to 85. Together, these 85 students will receive almost $2.2 million in REACH support during the 2025–2026 academic year. This funding reduces their student loan debt by the same amount, allowing them to move forward in their training without overwhelming financial pressure. Because of you, these students can pursue careers that reflect their passions, values, and commitment to service.

Your generosity shapes not only the lives of these future physicians but also the well-being of the patients and communities they will care for throughout their careers. By bolstering financial aid for exceptional students with demonstrated need, you help cultivate compassionate, thoughtful leaders who will serve our increasingly diverse society with sensitivity and insight.

On behalf of the entire Harvard Medical School community, thank you for believing in our students and investing in their promise.

 

Sincerely,​

Research and

Community Service

Christopher is interested in cardiology, cardiac surgery, anesthesiology, and health policy.

Yousef Abou Areda 

BA, Columbia University (2023)
MD, Harvard Medical School (Class of 2028)
2026 Beverly & Everod Coleman REACH Scholar
MD Program (Pathways track) 
Yousef Abou Areda 
Financial aid has given Yousef the freedom to explore his interest in psychiatry without the burden of long-term student debt and to focus on learning, research, and professional growth. He is grateful for the opportunity to shape his career based on passion and impact rather than financial necessity.

Impact of Financial Aid 

Pathway to Medicine and Research

Yousef Abou Areda is a second-year student in the Pathways program at Harvard Medical School, pursuing psychiatry with a focus on immigrant health, trauma, and mental health equity. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to low-income Egyptian immigrant parents, he witnessed how poverty, disability, and unstable housing shaped his family’s health. These experiences first inspired him to pursue medicine. His work as a harm reduction counselor at Harlem United—supporting HIV-positive individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders—and his volunteer experiences with Read Ahead and the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center have reinforced his dedication to trauma-informed, culturally responsive care. 
Yousef graduated in 2023 with a BA in psychology from Columbia University, where he founded youth-led initiatives to support communities affected by war and displacement. At HMS, his academic work centers on mental health in Arab American and other underserved communities, reflecting his commitment to equity and inclusion. 
He envisions a career as an academic psychiatrist dedicated to research, teaching, and expanding access to high-quality mental health care for immigrant and marginalized populations. Mentors in psychiatry and community health at HMS continue to shape his approach to equity and justice in medicine, strengthening his resolve to use clinical care, education, and research to reduce mental health disparities. 

Beverly & Everod Coleman REACH Scholar

Office of Alumni Affairs and Development


25 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115
giving@hms.harvard.edu

Thank you!