The SDSMA Foundation was created in 1949 to fund scholarships for medical students attending medical school in South Dakota. The Foundation provides an opportunity to showcase a true philanthropic spirit of physicians who desire to give back to their profession. Each donation allows the Foundation to grow and provide support for future physicians through the student scholarships. 

The Foundation annually provides scholarships to medical students attending medical school at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. The scholarships are intended to offset the rising costs of tuition while encouraging leadership skills among South Dakota’s brightest and most energetic medical students.

Foundation scholarships are believed to be unique by rewarding strong leadership – to the end that medical graduates will embrace a sense of community and caring beyond clinical expertise. With recent grant awards, the SDSMA Foundation is also positioned to support health improvement programs that address the SDSMA's public health priorities.

The SDSMA Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and your tax deductible donation provides scholarship assistance to medical students - the future physicians of South Dakota!

TIN #46-6012680

Donate to the SDSMA Foundation 

SDSMA Foundation Board of Directors




"This scholarship gives me great gratitude and reinforces all the hard work I have put into medicine since starting school. Medicine and helping others is a passion of mine. I hope to someday give back to other medical students the way the SDSMA Foundation has helped me with this scholarship."

David Jensen, MD, USD SSOM Class of 2024
Herbert A. Saloum, MD Memorial Scholarship recipient



"I have lived in South Dakota my entire life, and I look forward to serving as a physician here in the future to give back to the state that has provided so many opportunities for me. Thank you for your generosity in awarding me this scholarship. I look forward to the day I can contribute financially to support students in their educational journeys."

Kennedy Forest, MD, USD SSOM Class of 2024
Black Hills District Medical Society Scholarship recipient


South Dakota State Medical Association
2600 W 49th St Ste 100
Sioux Falls, SD 57105
Phone: 605.336.1965 | Fax: 605.274.3274

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