1. 3480 E. Guasti Road | Ontario, CA 91761 | Tel (909) 235-4400 www.primehealthcare.com
CSUSB High Desert Students Receive Dr.
Prem Reddy Academic Excellence
Scholarships
Two Cal State San Bernardino pre-med students from the High Desert
have been awarded the prestigious Dr. Prem Reddy Academic
Excellence Scholarship.
The scholarship went to third-year student Antonio Kanczel of Barstow
and freshman Jesse Wetzel of Apple Valley, both of whom are biology
majors with a pre-med option and have made the Dean’s List.
Kanczel, a junior with a 3.68 grade point average, plans on attending
medical school with aspirations of becoming a surgeon with the goal
of becoming head of surgery. Wetzel, a freshman with a 3.56 grade
point average, plans on getting a doctorate in optometry and
eventually becoming an optometrist.
“We’re grateful for Dr. Reddy’s generosity in funding scholarships to
these two deserving students as well as other High Desert students
here on campus,” said CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales. “Dr.
Reddy’s foresight is an investment in our future to help students
interested in becoming doctors, nurses or other types of healthcare
professionals at a time when our region faces shortages in medical
care providers.”

2. 3480 E. Guasti Road | Ontario, CA 91761 | Tel (909) 235-4400 www.primehealthcare.com
“These students are our future, and it is imperative that we help foster
their interest in medicine,” said Dr. Reddy. “I came from an
impoverished background to become a cardiologist. Nothing is
impossible for these hard-working students, and I hope that this
scholarship helps them achieve their dreams.”

3. 3480 E. Guasti Road | Ontario, CA 91761 | Tel (909) 235-4400 www.primehealthcare.com
Established in 2006, the Dr. Prem Reddy Academic Excellence
Scholarship is awarded to a qualifying student or students in pre-med,
nursing, and/or health education programs at Cal State San
Bernardino. A recipient must maintain a 3.5 GPA and be a full-time
student to continue the scholarship.
Born in India, Reddy immigrated to the United States in 1976 with his
wife, Venkamma, who is also a physician. He is double board-certified
in internal medicine and cardiology. He was awarded the honor of
Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and a Fellow of
the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP). During his 25
years of practice in the High Desert, he has committed himself to the
service of his patients and performed more than 5,000 cardiac
procedures, including coronary angiography and angioplasty, and
permanent pacemaker implantations.
Reddy also founded Prime Healthcare in 2001, starting with Desert
Valley Hospital in Victorville. Since then, Prime Healthcare has
expanded to own and operate 23 hospitals across the nation. The
health system has been recognized as one of the “15 Top Health
Systems” in the nation three times in the last five years, including in
2013, and its hospitals have earned “100 Top Hospitals” recognition
21 times.
Reddy also has been involved in philanthropic work for years. He
established the Desert Valley Medical Foundation in 1989. His support
of healthcare students in the High Desert is well known, and was
reinforced when Victor Valley College named its health sciences
school after him in 2003. He also founded and has been the sole
contributor to the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
public charity, which owns five non-profit hospitals, and the Dr. Prem
Reddy Family Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that has donated
millions toward charities, including college scholarships, public

4. 3480 E. Guasti Road | Ontario, CA 91761 | Tel (909) 235-4400 www.primehealthcare.com
healthcare education and free community clinics. Reddy has been
recognized with numerous awards for his philanthropy.
The two students will not only receive the Dr. Prem Reddy Academic
Excellence Scholarship, who are also Presidents Academic
Excellence Scholarships, for this year, but will be awarded the
scholarship for the remainder of their undergraduate career as long as
they continue to meet the scholarship’s requirement of 3.5 grade point
average, said Linda Hunt, the senior director of development at Cal
State San Bernardino.
Since the program began in 2002, the large majority of PAES
recipients have either graduated (some in three years) or are still
pursuing a CSUSB degree. As they advance through college and
eventually graduate, most of the PAES scholars will become part of a
highly educated workforce.
CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year. The campus
reflects the dynamic diversity of the region and has the most diverse
student population of any university in the Inland Empire. The
university has an annual statewide economic impact of more than half
a billion dollars, along with more than $32 million in yearly statewide
tax revenue.
To help support the President’s Academic Excellence Scholarship
program at Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of
Development at (909) 537-5004.
For additional information about the program, contact the CSUSB
admissions and student recruitment office at (909) 537-5188.
For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the
university’s Office of Public Affairs at (909) 537-5007 and
visit http://news.csusb.edu