Arizona Brothers with plastic surgery practice sponsor full-ride scholarship for student
Published: Mar. 27, 2024 at 4:00 PM MST|Updated: Mar. 27, 2024 at 4:58 PM MST
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona has a serious shortage of health care providers, and the problem is worse in rural and low-income areas. Two Valley brothers, Doctors Ali and Tamir Mosharrafa, who operate a successful plastic surgery practice in Scottsdale, are investing in the next generation by funding a full-ride scholarship to medical school.
“If we don’t intervene and do something, there are going to be just countless Americans that don’t have access to the health care that they need,” said Tamir Mosharrafa.
We caught up with their first recipient, Rocio Gastellum-Castilllo, who is in her first year at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. “It has been very, very hard. Med school is med school, so there are times where you have to go to sleep at two in the morning but get up at six to go to class,” Gastellum-Castillo said.
She’s come a long way to living out her dream. “I am from Nogales, Sonora. I was born there. And I would cross the border every single day to go to school and then cross back to go back home. And I did that from fourth grade until I graduated high school,” she explained.
An immigrant and first-generation college grad, she started thinking about a future in medicine after helping her mom through chemo and cancer support groups. “I was six or seven when she was first diagnosed,” Gastellum-Castillo said.
While her mom’s strength motivated and inspired her to follow her heart, she didn’t think she could afford med school. However, Gastellum-Castillo opened her laptop one day and got an email that changed her life. “I had to close my computer for a little bit and sort of take it in a little,” she said. She was chosen to receive a full-ride, 4-year scholarship.
“We hope that this is the first of many,” said Ali Mosharrafa. The Mosharrafas started the nonprofit Beauty for Good in 2016. After 28 years in practice specializing in breast cancer reconstructive surgery through Mosharrafa Plastic Surgery, they say giving back is at the core of what they do.
“We’ve really been blessed over the years to have a practice that has touched the lives of many people. And we wanted to extend that beyond just the practice,” said Tamir Mosharrafa.
U of A says today’s median debt for med school grads is $200,000.
“When I did my medical school, my first year’s tuition fees was $400. That’s one of those stories you always feel like saying ‘you know, when I grew up, this was a nickel!’ Fast forward to today. Medical students now have debt that they finished in the hundreds of thousands of dollars before they even begin their training,” said Ali Mosharrafa.
So, they set up a family scholarship through their charitable foundation to pick up the tab for one deserving student. “I feel like I can finally do what I had intended to do with my life,” Gastellum-Castillo explained.
For Rocio, medicine is more than a career — it’s a calling. She’s already loving her volunteer time in the free clinic on campus. “There’s just something about helping people and realizing that they are in their highest time of need, and you’re the one there that’s meant to help them,” Gastellum-Castillo said.
While it’s still early, she can see herself entering pediatric oncology. No matter the specialty, her path and potential are free of all financial burdens. “I hope that I can make them proud,” Gastellum-Castillo said.
Beauty for Good is pushing to sponsor more students. This Saturday afternoon, there will be a crawfish boil and barbecue fundraiser. It’s not too late to buy tickets to support the cause. Click here for more information.