Created by Woman One at the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership, this scholarship honors Dr. Cohen’s lifelong commitment to shared leadership among women and men, while also elevating underrepresented men in medicine.

These scholarships are made possible by donations from generous sponsors and matching funds provided by the Dean of Drexel University College of Medicine.

The D. Walter Cohen Shared Leadership Scholarship is open to underrepresented men in medicine who are committed to practicing medicine in underserved communities and who have been accepted to Drexel University College of Medicine.

Garvens Charles (2025)
Garvens was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts of Haitian parents who emigrated to the United States. He earned a BS in microbiology and certificate in biotechnology from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. Following graduation, Garvens finished a master’s degree program in biomedical sciences at Drexel University.

Now in his third year of medical school, Garvens is involved in many extracurricular activities, including serving as a vice president of the Drexel Student National Medical Association, volunteering with RISE Philadelphia as an academic coach and mentor, and co-founding Philly Student Doctors, a nonprofit community-service organization.

Garvens plans to become a doctor who will provide robust health care delivery for underserved and disadvantaged communities in the United States and abroad, particularly in countries where mortality is high.

Abay Tadesse (2026)
Abay was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and moved to the United States when he was 3 years old. His family settled near Philadelphia, and he grew up in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He earned a BS in neuroscience, with minors in chemistry and Africana studies from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Drexel University with a concentration in interdisciplinary health sciences.

Now in his second year of medical school, Abay volunteers with the student-run health outreach clinics in Philadelphia. He is a member of the Salvation Army free health clinic executive board and serves as a pharmacy coordinator. He also conducted research on acute respiratory distress syndrome with the Pediatric Critical Care Division of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

As a future physician, Abay hopes to work with underserved communities, addressing the serious problem of health disparities in those communities, and building an environment of trust and accountability for his patients.

Abay’s D. Walter Cohen Shared Leadership Scholarship is sponsored by the W.W. Smith Charitable Foundation.

Support the Scholarship

Please join us by celebrating Dr. Cohen's legacy and vision of shared leadership by making a gift. Your gift will help fund tuition support for a talented, underrepresented men studying medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. To make a gift online, visit giving.drexel.edu/cohenleadershipscholarship.

For more information about the various levels of giving, please contact Andrea Pesce Hannan, assistant vice president of development, Office of of Institutional Advancement, at 215.432.7934 or adp77@drexel.edu.

About Dr. Cohen

D. Walter Cohen, DDS, was instrumental in the founding of the Woman One Award and Scholarship Fund, which has supported underrepresented MD program students at Drexel University College of Medicine since 2003. As a complement to Woman One, the D. Walter Cohen Shared Leadership Scholarship will promote the importance of shared leadership among women and men, while also addressing the problem of declining medical school applications from underrepresented men in medicine.