Big Score for Medicine

Saint Joseph's men's soccer senior David Grana '21 has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, a $10,000 scholarship awarded to student-athletes in their final year of undergraduate studies who excel both academically and athletically and are planning to pursue a graduate degree. Grana most recently wrapped up an outstanding career as a four-year starting defender for the Crimson and Gray.

"I'm extremely honored to be awarded such a prestigious scholarship that will tremendously help me to achieve my dream of becoming a physician," says Grana. "I'm forever grateful to SJU for giving me the opportunity to receive a quality education and the experience of playing college soccer at the highest level. Additional thank you to the NCAA for giving me the platform to live out my current and future dreams."

In the Classroom

A biology major with minors in business administration and health care ethics, Grana earned a 3.95 GPA and graduated with a bachelor's degree in science this spring. At Saint Joseph's, Grana is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Sigma Nu, the Honors Program, Sigma Zeta, Alpha Epsilon Delta Chapter (Secretary) and the Biology Department Student Engagement Group, and is a senior fellow in the Institute of Clinical Bioethics. In summer 2020, Grana was part of St. Joe's Summer Scholars Program, an 11-week program that allows students to engage in faculty-mentored research; he investigated The Ethics of Uterine Transplantations, and this paid research opportunity cumulated in the publishing of his paper on The Ethics of Uterine Transplants in The Internet Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Grana has been accepted into three medical schools and plans on pursuing an M.D. program following his graduation. He will specialize in anesthesiology or internal medicine and plans to use his degree to serve his community, particularly the underprivileged and uninsured to provide quality health care to all individuals. Grana has made the Dean's List, Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and SJU Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester. He is a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-American, earning Second Team honors in 2018 and Third Team honors in 2019 and a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team pick. He is also a two-time Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team selection and a two-time Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team honoree.

On the Pitch

An involved member of Saint Joseph's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Grana is a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-American, earning Second Team honors in 2018 and Third Team honors in 2019 and a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team pick. A four-year staple on St. Joe's defense as a starting outside back from 2017-21, Grana played in 60 career matches with 58 career starts for the Hawks, recording four goals and three assists in over 5,200 minutes played. Grana turned in 46 full matches for the Crimson and Gray and was the Hawks' 2018 Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.

Head Coach Don D'Ambra following the conclusion of Grana's senior season: "David has been the ideal student-athlete, performing at an exceptionally high level both on and off the field. He has the rare ability to juggle the responsibilities and physical demands of an athlete while taking on the difficult path to medical school. David excels in everything he does. He competes with such commitment and intensity and never stops working until the final whistle. He continually impresses his teammates and coaching staff and will continue to find success in everything he does."

In the Community

For the past three years, Grana has been a coordinator of the Mercy Health Promoter Clinics, which provides preventative care to the underprivileged, uninsured and undocumented in Philadelphia. He has also served at both the monthly African and Hispanic Health Promoters for the last three years, typically serving 50-120 members of the Philadelphia community per session by measuring height/weight, blood glucose, blood cholesterol, blood pressure and vision and providing prenatal care and dentistry services. He participated in the Philadelphia Annual Clean-Up Project on Martin Luther King Day (2018, 2019) and helped the HEADstrong Foundation prepare for their annual 5K Run the Park Challenge.

Over spring break 2020, Grana assisted homeless men in need at the Saint John's Hospice in Philadelphia. In his hometown of Rochester, New York, Grana was a summer volunteer (2018, 2019) at the Rochester General Hospital, volunteering in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit and Intensive Care Unit. Grana also implemented a novel hospice and palliative care program at Caritas Baby Hospital in Palestine and published a paper on this program known as the Pediatric Advanced Care Team in the Internet Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology; along with a $5,000 grant to implement PACT, he will be visiting Palestine in summer 2021 to oversee the implementation of this program. He also gives back to the game of soccer and has been a USSF soccer referee since May 2011.