2009 Tillman Scholar

Megan Ferderber

Army
Pennsylvania State University
M.D.

Growing up in the Army, my family placed a high regard on discipline, integrity, and selflessness. I witnessed this through my father, now a retired pilot, and my mother, a supportive spouse. As a child, my life centered around the military, and to this day I can still identify values in my every day routine which were first instilled in me as a consequence of my upbringing. After years of listening to stories of happenings overseas and witnessing the wear of a military career on my Dad’s bones and joints, I knew that I wanted to pursue medicine and, in particular, the uncommon combination of Global Health and Sports Medicine. 

With help from the Pat Tillman Foundation, I was able to pursue my medical degree at the Penn State College of Medicine. Upon medical school graduation, I was accepted into family medicine residency at UPMC St. Margaret in Pittsburgh, PA, where I completed concentrations in Global Health and Sports Medicine. I was elected to serve as a Chief Resident during my final year of residency training, which remains one of my most humbling experiences. I then signed on for an additional year of fellowship training in Sports Medicine, which I am scheduled to complete June 2017. My ultimate goal is to practice medicine with compassion, integrity, and dedication to the assurance of health for my patients. I hope to exercise selflessness in my pursuit of serving others in this capacity, and in doing so attempt to reflect those principles which we hold in such high esteem.