Friday, April 08, 2011
Aflac Commits $1.06 Million for Cancer Researcher Scholarships
"Finding a cure for cancer has been our primary philanthropic cause for more than 15 years," Aflac Foundation President Kathelen Amos said. "Finding a cure begins with making sure our up-and-coming researchers have the tools they need to make a difference. We are honored to support the AACR any way we can."
Since 1997, Aflac and the American Association for Cancer Research have been partners in the fight against cancer. The collaborative efforts focus primarily on better understanding of cancer science, especially as it relates to childhood cancers. Aflac has provided scholarships for more than 600 young researchers since the inception of its partnership with AACR, including Dr. Charles Mullighan from St. Jude's Children's Hospital (see bio below).
"The Aflac award has provided crucial support in the initial stages of my career as an independent investigator," Dr. Mullighan said. "The award allowed me to pursue high risk studies examining the genetics of Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and the development of novel mouse models of ALL. These are clinically relevant studies as they have defined new genetic changes in this disease and helped elucidate their contribution to leukemogenesis."
In addition to the AACR Scholarships, since 1995, Aflac has raised and donated more than $62 million for the treatment and research of childhood cancer.
Facts about pediatric cancers
* Cancer is the leading cause of death in children under age 15. American Cancer Society (ACS 2010)
* Leukemia causes one-third of childhood cancer deaths. (ACS 2010)
* Mortality rates for childhood cancer have declined by 55 percent since 1975. (ACS 2008)
* There are estimated to be at least 270,000 survivors of childhood cancer in the United States.
2011 Scholarship Recipients
* Antonio L. Amelio, PhD - Scripps Institute, Florida
* Guillermo Armaiz Pena, PhD – University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center
* Kofi Asomaning, MD – Harvard School of Public Health
* Gregor M. Balaburski, PhD – Fox Chase Cancer Center
* Daniel W. Bowles, MD - University of Colorado School of Medicine
* J. Chad Brenner, Graduate – University of Michigan
* Sara A. Byron, PhD - Translational Genomics Research Institute
* Qi Cao, PHD – University of Michigan
* Tooba A. Cheema, PhD – Massachusetts General Hospital
* Ru Chen, PHD - UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
* Brooke C. Christensen, PhD – Brown University
* Leonie H.A.M de Wilt, MSc – Virginia University Medical Center
* Jan B. Egan, PhD – Mayo Clinic, Arizona
* Inna V. Fedorenko, Graduate - H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Ctr. & Res. Inst.
* Dinorah Friedmann-Morvinski, PhD - Salk Inst. Cancer Ctr.
* Nicolas N. Garnier, MSc - Lady Davis Institute, JGH
* Hossien A. Hamed, BS - Virginia Commonwealth University
* Linda Holmfeldt, PhD - St Jude Children's Research Hospital
* Shu-hao Hsu, Graduate – Ohio State University
* Jae Hong Im, PhD – University of Oxford
* Yuqi Jing, PhD - University Of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
* Neil Johnson, PhD – Dana Farber Cancer Institute
* Amjad P. Khan, PhD - University of Michigan Medical School
* Hyung-Gu Kim, PhD - Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
* James L. LaBelle, MD, PhD – Dana Farber Cancer Institute
* Andrea Lai, Graduate – McGill University
* Jill E. Larsen, PhD - UT Southwestern Medical Center
* Melissa K. McConechy. BS - BC Cancer Agency, University of British Columbia
* Andrew S. Moore, MBBS – The Institute of Cancer Research
* Britney L. Moss, Graduate – Washington University School of Medicine
* Min Ni, PhD – Dana Farber Cancer Institute
* Wen-Bin Ou, PhD – Brigham and Women's Hospital
* John R. Prensner, Graduate – University of Michigan
* Jeanine M.L. Roodhart, MD – University Medical Center Utrecht
* Mike R. Russell, PhD – Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
* Takaomi Sanda, MD, PhD – Dana Farber Cancer Institute
* Prasanna K. Santhekadur, PhD – Virginia Commonwealth University
* Punit Saraon, PhD – University of Toronto/Mount Sinai Hospital
* Timothy K. Starr, PhD - Univ. of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Ctr.
* Li Tao, MD - Univ. of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Ctr.
* Jose T. Thaiparambil, PhD - Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
* Chery Whipple, PhD - Dartmouth Norris Cotton Cancer Ctr.
* Kenichi Yoshida, MD - Cancer Genomics Project, The University of Tokyo
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Monday, September 07, 2009
Space Auction Opens with a “Big Bang”
While no remnants of the Big Bang (that we know of!) are available, astronauts John Glenn, Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin and 30 more legends have their space artifacts and signature on the auction block for this event which benefits the nonprofit Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
Bids are already rolling in on the 30 lots of space artifacts and memorabilia. Up for grabs are such rare items as a couch segment from the famous Apollo 13 Command Module, an American flag carried to the moon onboard Apollo 14, a Skylab astronaut jacket worn in space and a John Glenn autographed issue of LIFE magazine.
“The auction is a great way for the astronauts to show our support for such a worthy cause,” said Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise. “The proceeds from the artifacts we donate help pave the way for the future innovators of science and technology in America by the college scholarships the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation provides.”
The auction promises a bang for anyone who has ever gazed up at the sky. The launch window for bidding closes on September 12, 2009 at 5 PM EDT.
All auction proceeds go directly to support the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s mission of offering scholarships to top science and technology college students. To date the Foundation has dispersed more than $2.8 million to students nationwide.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the six surviving members of America’s original Mercury astronauts. Its mission is to aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships for college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in these fields. Today, more than 80 astronauts from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and Space Station Programs have joined in this educational endeavor. For more information, call 321-455-7015 or log on to www.AstronautScholarship.org.
About the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
More than 70 astronauts are helping the United States retain its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships for college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in the science or engineering field of their major.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was established originally in 1984 as the Mercury Seven Foundation by the six surviving members of America's original Mercury Seven astronauts, Mrs. Betty Grissom (widow of the seventh, Virgil "Gus" Grissom), William Douglas, M.D. (the Project Mercury flight surgeon), and Henri Landwirth, an Orlando businessman and friend of the astronauts. The founding astronauts were Malcolm Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Walter M. Schirra, Alan B. Shepard Jr., and Donald K. (Deke) Slayton. Currently, Apollo astronaut Al Worden is Chairman of the foundation's Board of Directors and five-time shuttle astronaut Robert "Hoot" Gibson serves as Vice Chairman.
The original Mercury Seven Foundation began on a shoestring budget, and the first seven scholarships, at $1,000 each, were awarded in 1986. As more money was raised the amount and number of scholarships increased gradually. The foundation now awards annually 19 scholarships each worth $10,000, for a total of $190,000. To date, the foundation has awarded $2.8 million in scholarships to deserving students nationwide.
Scholarship money is raised through astronaut appearances, fund-raising events, corporate and individual donations, and astronaut autographs. In 1995, with the realization that the five remaining Mercury astronauts would not be able to raise scholarship funds forever, the Board of Directors voted to broaden the membership and to change the name to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs have now joined in this worthwhile endeavor.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
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Monday, September 15, 2008
40 High-Achieving Students with Cystic Fibrosis Receive $100,000 Total in Higher Education Scholarships From SolvayCARES(SM)
Cystic fibrosis presents extraordinary health burdens for patients and financial challenges for their families. Thanks to tremendous advances in medical treatments, more young adults with CF are living longer, healthier lives than ever before, and many more are pursuing dreams of higher education. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. Today, more than 40 percent of people living with CF are aged 18 or older.(1)
For 16 years, Solvay Pharmaceuticals has awarded scholarships to high-achieving students with CF to encourage their pursuit of educational goals. The Scholarship is one aspect of the SolvayCARES program, which was created to address the specific needs of this patient population by providing support in a variety of formats throughout their lives as patients' needs evolve with age -- such as upon graduation from high school.
"The SolvayCARES Scholarship helped ease the financial responsibility of my higher education and allowed me to focus on what really matters -- earning my doctoral degree in clinical psychology so that I can pursue my dream of working in clinical therapy with individuals affected by chronic illnesses and those connected to them," said Samantha Pelican Monson, a 2007 SolvayCARES Scholarship recipient and doctoral student at the University of Denver. "With a little creativity, you can overcome any obstacle, health-related or otherwise, and achieve the goals and dreams you have always wished would come true."
This year's SolvayCARES Scholarship program offers a new opportunity with the launch of the Thriving Student Achiever award. This winner will earn a total of $10,000 in scholarship funding and will be determined through an online voting process open to the general public at www.SolvayCARESScholarship.com. This site will feature the profiles, winning essays and creative presentations of all Scholarship recipients who choose to be considered for the Thriving Student Achiever award. Friends of the CF community and the general public are encouraged to log on to learn more about these students' remarkable accomplishments and vote for their favorite scholarship recipient. Online voting will be available from September 15 to October 15, at which time the Thriving Student Achiever will be determined.
"At Solvay Pharmaceuticals, we believe that reaching the milestone of graduation signifies tremendous victory for young people with CF and their families, and demonstrates courage and commitment," said Dr. Stephen Hill, president and chief executive officer of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "For the sixteenth consecutive year, we are proud to support this deserving and dynamic group of young people in attaining their next academic success. Our hope is that featuring winners' stories online will result in an increased awareness of CF and a heightened appreciation of these students' accomplishments."
Winners of the SolvayCARES Scholarship and Thriving Student Achiever award receive a one-year scholarship for post-secondary study of any kind through an accredited program; winners' courses of study can range from vocational school to undergraduate degrees to doctoral work. Winners are determined through an application process focusing on creativity, academic excellence, community involvement, ability to serve as a role model in the CF community and financial need. Applications are due in early summer each year and the application form can be viewed via the SolvayCARES Scholarship Web site.
About SolvayCARES(SM)
For more than 20 years, Solvay Pharmaceuticals has supported the CF community through SolvayCARES programs that offer nutritional, educational and financial resources. This support is provided at no cost to patients and includes: free CREON(R) (Pancrelipase Delayed-Release Capsules, USP) and multivitamins to patients for the first three years of life; nutritional drink supplements and multivitamins for children, teenagers and adults; and educational resources that address patients' evolving needs as they enter different life stages. Since 1993, Solvay Pharmaceuticals has awarded more than 500 scholarships for post-secondary education, totaling more than $1.7 million in educational funding. SolvayCARES also offers financial support through a Patient Assistance Program for patients who meet established financial criteria. To learn more about the nutritional, educational and financial support available through SolvayCARES, please visit www.SolvayCARES.com. For full safety and prescribing information about CREON(R), visit www.CREON-US.com.
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