Charles A. Messa III, M.D., knew at age 15 that he wanted to become a surgeon.

Now a clinical professor of surgery at NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD), Messa is creating a legacy and helping others pursue that dream by establishing the Charles A. Messa III M.D. Scholarship Fund at NSU MD.

“When I heard about the new medical college at NSU, I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to give back, doing what I really want to do,” said Messa, who is the medical director at Weston Cosmetic Surgery Center Corp.

“I want to be involved in educating young physicians. I want to help students develop their clinical research. Students might not have the financial means to dedicate a year to this,” Messa said.

“There is never a time when we stop learning, or stop making better what we do. That is important in evidence-based medicine, and it goes back to clinical research. What have we done? What can we do to make it better? That is the future for medicine and providing better health care.”

NSU MD students say the scholarship is helping them focus on doing just that.

“Not only will this scholarship ease my financial burden, it will allow me to pursue my goal of becoming a physician and continue my commitment to research,” said scholarship recipient Brad Boserup, who chose NSU MD because of its focus on “unique learning strategies, research, and innovation.

“I hope to continue to be involved in research throughout medical school and beyond because I believe doing so will make me a more knowledgeable clinician,” Boserup said.

NSU MD student Adam Ulises Shir had long pursued going to medical school and began volunteering at a hospital and working as a medical assistant at the start of his undergraduate studies.

“The scholarship has allowed me to continue reveling in the joy of attending medical school as opposed to worrying about the prospect of trying to finance it,” Shir said. “I know that when I become a doctor, I will remember the feeling I had when I received notification of this scholarship. As soon as I am able, I plan to give back to future medical school students at NSU MD.”

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Messa attended LaSalle University on a swimming scholarship, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1985. He earned a M.D. degree from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in 1989.

“Initially, my interest was more in vascular and cardiothoracic surgery. In medical school, I became more interested in plastic surgery, particularly craniofacial surgery,” he said.

Messa completed residencies in general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, respectively.

“What I like about NSU is the focus on working together as a team,” Messa said. “If your pre-medical and medical career is [only] about ‘me,’ instead of working with others, you will not know how to talk to people, patients in particular. Teaching students to work together as opposed to working against each other is important.”