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In 2011, Mark Fegley, MD was in his first year of medical school as a member of the inaugural class of Temple/ St. Luke’s School of Medicine when he married his wife, Whitney and received help achieving his dream of becoming a physician. “The scholarship provided by St. Luke’s was unbelievably helpful” says Dr. Fegley.

After graduating from Temple/St. Luke’s, Mark completed his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania and returned to St. Luke’s in 2020, where he now serves as an anesthesiologist and critical care physician. “I was always interested in coming back.” commented, Mark. “I had great mentors, and now many of them are my peers.”

Mark’s family has a long tradition of service to St. Luke’s. His dad, Bill, currently serves as a trustee of the St. Luke’s Carbon Campus.  And Mark’s grandfather, Bill, Sr., was the first chairman of the board for what was to become the St. Luke’s Miners Campus. And even though Mark’s grandmother Flossie is well into her 90s, she too is an enthusiastic champion for St. Luke’s as a longtime resident of the St. Luke’s Miners Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, where she reports “the food is great.”

In December, Dr. Fegley his decided to pay forward the generosity he was afforded while a medical student by becoming the first Temple/St. Luke’s graduate to establish a named endowed scholarship fund. The fund has been named in honor of Mark’s parents and “The Dr. & Mrs. Mark Fegley Medical School Scholarship Endowment Fund in Honor of William & Jacquelyn Fegley,” will help future students realize their dreams of becoming a physician for decades to come.

“My parents taught me the right way to do things – be patient, be kind and give back,” he explains. “Along with Whitney, they have had the greatest influence on my life.”  According to Mark, his parents always helped when he needed it, but let him struggle as well. “They were good at keeping us all level-headed. They supported us on bad days, celebrated with us on good days, but always kept us humble.”

Since Mark first became an attending physician, he and Whitney put aside funds from every paycheck. “It’s a joy and a privilege to help others and honor my parents at the same time.”

“I am so grateful to Mark and Whitney for their generous contribution,” says Shaden Eldakar-Hein, MD, Senior Associate Dean of Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine. “It is especially poignant to realize that Mark was enrolled in the inaugural class of Temple/St. Luke’s Medical School and is also the first alum to make a significant gift to our school. Scholarships enable hardworking students like Mark to focus on their studies and minimize their debt following graduation.”

Mark and Whitney live in Center Valley, with a growing family that includes two beautiful girls and two chocolate Labrador Retrievers.