NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the 2017 AbbVie CF Scholarship program is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 academic school year, marking 25 years of honoring and supporting young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) as they pursue their educational dreams. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply for the scholarship now until May 24, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. U.S. central time by visiting www.AbbVieCFScholarship.com.
As a part of its continued commitment to the CF community, AbbVie will award $3,000 scholarships to 40 exceptional students with CF who demonstrate academic excellence, creativity and community involvement. In honor of the 25th year of the program, scholarship recipients can compete for a total of $25,000 for use toward education-related expenses through one of three AbbVie CF Scholarship award categories: Thriving Undergraduate Student Scholarship, Thriving Graduate Student Scholarship and Blogger's Choice Award – an award specially designed to celebrate this important program milestone and to recognize student creativity.
"The 25th anniversary of the AbbVie CF Scholarship program reminds us of the remarkable advances in modern medicine that have helped to enable these inspiring students to reach their dreams of attending high school, college and beyond," said Jim Hynd, vice president, GI Care, AbbVie. "AbbVie is committed to continuing its support of students with CF as they work toward achieving their goals of higher education."
AbbVie will announce the 2017 Thriving Undergraduate Student, Thriving Graduate Student and Blogger's Choice Award recipients in the fall of 2017. The Thriving Student Scholarships are granted based on a combination of exceptional academics, achievements and creative presentations. These awards are also determined, in part, by public votes cast over a one-month voting period to be announced in the fall. CF bloggers selected by AbbVie will evaluate the creative submissions of the 40 AbbVie CF Scholars to determine which scholar (who is not already receiving a Thriving Student Scholarship) will receive the Blogger's Choice Award.
"Receiving the AbbVie CF Scholarship in 2016 helped ease the financial burden of pursuing a doctoral degree in teacher education – a career choice that empowers me to impart the value of hard work and determination on future teachers, who will touch the lives of countless students," said Scott Gibbons, 2016 Thriving Graduate Student and current doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati. "The 25th anniversary of the scholarship program is particularly important to me as a teacher, because it reminds me how many inspiring students with CF have come before me – and how many students will come after me."
The AbbVie CF Scholarship is part of AbbVie's ongoing commitment to the CF community, which is comprised of approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. Today, nearly half of the CF population is age 18 or older.1 For more information about the scholarship program, please visit www.AbbVieCFScholarship.com.
About Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of those living with this condition.1 In patients with CF, a thick, sticky mucus is produced in certain organs throughout the body, most commonly the lungs and digestive system. The mucus build-up in the lungs can cause difficulty breathing and may lead to life-threatening lung infections. In the digestive system, the thick mucus may prevent proper food digestion, potentially leading to malabsorption and malnutrition.
About the AbbVie CF Scholarship
The AbbVie CF Scholarship was established 25 years ago in recognition of the financial burdens many families touched by CF face and to acknowledge the achievements of students with CF. Since its inception, the scholarship program has awarded more than $2.8 million in scholarships to nearly 1,000 students. The AbbVie CF Scholarship is part of AbbVie's ongoing commitment to the CF community, which is comprised of more than 30,000 children and adults in the United States. As of 2013, nearly half of the CF population is 18 years or older.1
It is not necessary for scholarship applicants to have taken, currently take, or intend to take in the future, any medicine or product marketed by AbbVie, and this is not a consideration in the selection criteria. More information about the AbbVie CF Scholarship criteria and application can be found at www.AbbVieCFScholarship.com.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013 following separation from Abbott Laboratories. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to develop and market advanced therapies that address some of the world's most complex and serious diseases. Together with its wholly-owned subsidiary, Pharmacyclics, AbbVie employs approximately 29,000 people worldwide and markets medicines in more than 170 countries. For further information on the company and its people, portfolio and commitments, please visit www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter or view careers on our Facebook or LinkedIn page.
References
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. About Cystic Fibrosis. Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Available at: https://www.cff.org/What-is-CF/Diagnosed-with-Cystic-Fibrosis/. Accessed February 2017.
SOURCE AbbVie
