Smith Scholar Spotlight

Jason Franasiak, M.D.

Jason Franasiak, M.D. dreamed of being a physician but decided to get real-life experience while an undergraduate student at the College of William & Mary. He volunteered for nearly three years as an emergency medical technician with the Williamsburg Fire and Rescue Squad and at Williamsburg Community Hospital. In the summers he worked as an emergency medical technician at Busch Gardens.

The experience made Franasiak know he was on the right track and “helped me figure out what I wanted to do.” In 2009 Franasiak, a Chesapeake native, graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine where he received scholarship funding from the Florence L. Smith Medical Fund. Franasiak is now living in Durham and completing a residency at the University of North Carolina. He plans a career as an obstetrician and gynecologist.

While in medical school Franasiak was president of the American Medical Student Association chapter at U.Va. He founded a campus chapter of Building Tomorrow: Destination Kampala. The nonprofit organization raised more than $12,000 to build schools in the capital of Uganda. In his senior year he was honored with an award from the American Medical Association for his volunteer efforts.

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