Five University of Arizona Health Sciences students pursuing doctoral and professional degrees in medicine, nursing, pharmacology and public health have been awarded QuidelOrtho Global Health Scholarships to help fund their advanced education.
The scholarship recipients are: Stephanie Boyles from the College of Nursing; Yifan Chao from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; Brielle Edwards from the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy; Ademidun (Demi) Majekodunmi from the College of Medicine – Phoenix; and Separated Eddie from the College of Medicine – Tucson.
The QuidelOrtho Global Health Scholarships are intended to prepare students to build and lead the future of healthcare to improve the well-being of people around the world. QuidelOrtho Corporation is a leading provider of rapid diagnostic test solutions, cellular-based virology tests and molecular diagnostic systems.
“I care about the health of the world more than anything else,” Majekodunmi said. “My upbringing spanned three continents with very different health care infrastructures, and being exposed to and participating in different health care systems around the world has been a factor that motivator in my desire to become a doctor who improves access to health care in the world and justification of care. Thanks to the QuidelOrtho scholarship, I am one step closer to this lifelong goal.
Boyles said the scholarship will help him on his career path.
“My goal is to become a nurse-scientist and participate in research that will build the scientific foundation for clinical nursing practice with the goal of improving patient care and health outcomes,” said Boyles. “I also want to be an expert member of the nursing faculty in genomics to inspire and equip the next generation of diverse nurses. As a military spouse and mother of four, there are unique burdens to achieve my goals, but the QuidelOrtho scholarship lightens some of these burdens and allows me to start my journey sooner rather than later.
Edwards said he plans to use his scholarship to help his goal of helping the community.
“As a future pharmacist, researching how pharmaceutical compounds can improve the quality of life is an interest I am passionate about,” Edwards said. “Now I am continuing this as a volunteer researcher in a pediatric lab that studies movement disorders. Receiving the QuidelOrtho Scholarship will allow me to spend more time volunteering in the lab and better prepare me for a career focused on pursuing new pharmaceutical discoveries to help my community.
“Each of the scholarship recipients has shown a unique motivation to do their part to improve health care and stability in communities near and far,” said Michael D. Dake, MD, senior vice president of UArizona Health Sciences. “These scholarships will help more students realize their visions of joining the health care workforce and improving care in Arizona, as well as across the country and the world.”
The deans of each college establish criteria to determine scholarship winners, and seek to identify students with different talents, experiences and perspectives to contribute to care. in the health of the whole world. Scholarships range from $11,000 to $12,500 annually and are renewable for three or four years, depending on the college.
