Minority medical students receive support to pursue hematology research

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announces the selection of 14 participants for its 2010 Minority Medical Student Award Program (MMSAP), which encourages minority Medical students to purse an interest in hematology research. Award recipients will each receive the support of a research mentor and a career-development mentor, travel stipends to attend the ASH annual meeting, and a subscription to the scientific journal Blood, the official journal of ASH.

"This award helps encourage the top students from traditionally underrepresented groups to pursue careers in hematology research," said ASH President Hal Broxmeyer, PhD. "Since its introduction in 2004, the MMSAP has benefited both the recipients and the field of hematology as a whole."

For an eight- to 12-week period, MMSAP participants will work closely with their mentors on a hematology-related research project. The subjects to be investigated by this year's students include human embryonic stem cells, leukemia, thrombocytopenic purpura, cord blood transplantation, and multiple myeloma. The awardees will also be given the opportunity to present the results of their research at ASH's annual meeting in December, one of the largest medical meetings in the country with more than 20,000 attendees.

The 2010 MMSAP participants are:

• Imo Akpan, University of Illinois
  at Chicago


• May Cho, Meharry Medical College


• Tiffany Jackson, Mercer
  University School of Medicine


• Courtney Nicole Johnson,
  University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine


• Tiana Carrillo, University of
  Illinois at Chicago


• Drees Griffin Jr., University of
  Alabama School of Medicine


• Michelle Long, Wake Forest
  University School of Medicine


• Myntee Ngangana, The Ohio State
  University College of Medicine


• Jennifer Nichols, University of
  Illinois at Chicago


• Kandyce Pearson, University of
  Iowa


• Stacey Pereira, Rush Medical
  College


• Pablo N. Quintana, University of
  Illinois at Chicago


• Vanessa Sarfoh, University of
  Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences


• Ngozidilenna Wilkins, University
  of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Provided by American Society of Hematology