Bethesda, MD (May 20, 2013) — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Research Foundation has announced the 2013 Student Research Fellowship Award recipients. The awards are intended to stimulate interest in research careers in digestive diseases among high school, undergraduate, graduate and medical school students. The high school recipients are funded by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
"The AGA Institute remains committed to providing young researchers with unprecedented research opportunities," said Nicholas F. LaRusso, MD, AGAF, chair of the AGA Research Foundation. "We are extremely impressed by the caliber of nominations we received for the 2013 Student Research Fellowship Awards, and we look forward to watching these gifted students as they work to advance the understanding of digestive diseases through their novel research objectives."
A total of eight awards of $2,500 each were given to support high school students interested in performing digestive disease or nutrition research for a minimum of 10 weeks. Virtually all have indicated an intention to continue their studies in medically related fields. This year's Broad Scholars are:
- Alexander R. Cohen, Newton South High School, MA
- Ayesha Godil, Granite Bay High School, CA
- Chimdi V. Obinero, Commack High School, NY
- Jordan M. Poles, Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, NY
- Naryan L. Rustgi, Haverford School for Boys, PA
- Prateeti P. Sarker, Dulaney High School, Timonium, MD
- Henry N. Senkfor, Hawken School, Gates Mills, OH
- Jordan L. Widom, Ransom Everglades, Miami, FL
The AGA Research Foundation also awarded 22 AGA Student Research Fellowship Awards to undergrad, graduate and medical students looking to further their research careers. These promising students will receive up to $3,000 each to perform research in digestive diseases over a 10-week period.
The Student Research Fellowship Awards program was created by the AGA more than a decade ago to stimulate interest in gastroenterological research careers in high school, college and medical school students. To date, the program has identified nearly 253 high school, undergraduate, graduate and medical students to participate in the program. Selected through a rigorous national application process, the students have participated in research at such distinguished institutions as Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; and others.
About the AGA Research Foundation
The AGA Research Foundation, formerly known as the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition, is the cornerstone of AGA's effort to expand digestive disease research funding. Since 1984, the AGA, through its foundations, has provided more than $40 million in research grants to more than 700 scientists. The AGA Research Foundation serves as a bridge to the future of research in gastroenterology and hepatology by providing critical funding to advance the careers of young researchers between the end of training and the establishment of credentials that earn National Institutes of Health grants. Learn more about the AGA Research Foundation or make a contribution at http://www.gastro.org/aga-foundation.
About the AGA Institute
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. http://www.gastro.org.
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About The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is a national venture philanthropy established by entrepreneur Eli Broad to advance entrepreneurship for the public good in education, science and the arts. The Broad Foundation invests in scientific and medical research in the areas of human genomics, stem cell research and inflammatory bowel disease. http://www.broadfoundation.org.