It can often be challenging for veterans to have a post-secondary education, much less professional school. That is not the case at East Tennessee State University, which provides a full range of services to veterans of all branches.
For more than half a century, the Quillen College of Medicine has embodied its founding purpose: to serve those who have served our nation. Established in 1974 with funding allocated through the Veterans Administration, Quillen stands on the historic grounds of the Mountain Home VA Medical Center, and long dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln’s enduring charge “to care for him who shall have borne the battle.”
Today, that commitment is reflected not only in the care Quillen provides to veterans but also in the support it extends to veterans training to become the next generation of physicians.
The Veterans Medical Scholarship Endowment was created to ensure that veteran medical students at Quillen have the financial support necessary to complete their training.
The scholarship’s founding donors – Dr. Vincent L. Ball (US Army, Special Forces Officer), Dr. S. “Brock” Blankenship (USAF Pararescue), Dr. Bryan S. Helsel (US Army Aviation), and Quillen faculty member Dr. Thomas E. Kwasigroch (US Army, Special Forces Officer) – all share deep ties to military service, to one another and to Quillen’s mission.
“After speaking with several of our veteran students, faculty and alumni, we recognized a clear need for additional support,” Blankenship said. “Many of our veteran medical students find that their GI Bill and other funding sources begin to run out around their third year—precisely when expenses increase due to away rotations and residency interviews across the country. We started this scholarship program to help bridge that gap and ensure these students don’t have to limit their goals or opportunities because of financial constraints.”
ETSU has built a long-standing reputation for serving military-affiliated students. For 15 consecutive years, the university has been recognized as a Military Friendly® School, most recently achieving Gold status for 2025–26. ETSU was also named a Yellow Ribbon School by U.S. Veterans Magazine for 2025.
“Quillen has afforded me so many wonderful opportunities and I was happy to help serve those who have served,” Ball said. “It is a wonderful and welcoming institution to veterans—and non-veterans for that matter.”
Quillen has long been recognized for its welcoming environment, where veteran and non-veteran students train side by side, guided by faculty who deeply understand the unique strengths and experiences veterans bring to the study of medicine.
“Quillen owes its total beginnings to funds provided through the VA,” said longtime Quillen administrator Doug Taylor who currently serves as Special Assistant to the Dean. “We were required by law to give preference for admission to Veterans. We have never varied from that.”
As the Veterans Medical Scholarship Endowment continues to grow, it not only offers critical support to future physicians but also reaffirms Quillen’s ongoing promise to empower veteran students. This commitment helps ensure that the values of service and dedication remain at the heart of the institution for generations to come.
