OSU-COM student aims to inspire others as an ElevateMeD Scholar

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Media Contact: Kayley Spielbusch | Digital Communications Specialist | 918-561-5759 | kspielb@okstate.edu

Jada Lusk found herself on the path to medicine because of the physicians who cared for her as a child. 

Growing up, Lusk was an athlete, which resulted in her having three knee surgeries before she turned 14, with her first surgery at age 11. The experience was painful, but despite that, what stood out to her the most were the physicians who treated her. 

“The physicians who cared for me spoke to me at a level I understood. They showed me so much compassion and made a terrible experience more bearable,” Lusk said. “After that, I felt called to care for people in the same way.” 

Lusk, who is from Edmond, Oklahoma, studied biology and Spanish at Oklahoma State University and is a Cowboy through and through. Now a fourth-year medical student at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, she recalls a conversation with one of her high school teachers that solidified her decision to apply. Her teacher visited friends who attended OSU-COM and told her about the experience. 

“I remember her telling me they had so much joy. Even amidst the rigors of medical school, they were happy and supported. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be at OSU-COM for that support,” Lusk said. 

At OSU-COM, Lusk has held several leadership positions, including the Student Association of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians president, the Latino Medical Student Association community outreach coordinator and an ambassador coordinator. 

Additionally, she is part of the Urban Underserved Medical Track, which she chose because she grew up in an urban and underserved community and saw firsthand the barriers to health care. 

“I call them the forgotten ones,” Lusk said. “There is a lot of funding and awareness around rural and tribal medicine, but residents in larger cities like Tulsa and Oklahoma City may not qualify for certain health benefits, yet they still struggle to make ends meet.” 

Her commitment to underserved communities and leadership skills led Lusk to be selected as one of just 20 medical students from across the country for the 2025-26 ElevateMeD Scholarship program. The program aims to uplift future generations of physicians from underrepresented backgrounds through financial support and mentorship. 

“It’s an honor to be named an ElevateMeD Scholar. I love what the program stands for and that it’s a unique program that invests in you, but you also get the opportunity to invest in future generations that come after you,” Lusk said. 

ElevateMeD will award Lusk a $10,000 scholarship for her final year of medical school. While Lusk said the financial support will be a huge help, ElevateMeD is about more than that. Each scholar is paired with a mentor in their desired specialty who is also from an underrepresented population. 

At the annual conference in September, ElevateMeD also hosts workshops and training sessions for scholars on topics such as financial literacy and mock interviews, among others. 

Lusk said she is passionate about ElevateMeD’s mission because the organization brings representation to the health care field that she did not see growing up.

“There will be 20 scholars and mentors from diverse backgrounds,” Lusk said. “It’s important to me that I am able to be a part of a program that is geared toward elevating and highlighting the skills that we have across all backgrounds.”

She is excited to create lifelong partnerships and relationships with her future colleagues through ElevateMeD. She also hopes that, as one of the chosen scholars, she can inspire the generations of future physicians after her. 

“I want to show people coming after me who may want to pursue this as a dream that if they look like me, they can do it too,” Lusk said.