MSU College of Human Medicine students Erika Phelps Nishiguchi and Stephen Selinksy have received Benjamin H. Kean Travel Fellowships in Tropical Medicine from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The fourth-year medical students are among 22 recipients in this highly competitive national fellowship.
ASTMH is a worldwide organization of scientists, clinicians and program professionals whose mission is to promote global health through the prevention and control of infectious and other diseases that disproportionately afflict the global poor.
Both fellows will receive airfare and up to $1,000 in living expenses for a clinical training or research project that takes place in an area where tropical diseases are endemic.
“I feel compelled to use the privilege of my education and training to learn about diseases that have been overlooked,” said Phelps Nishiguchi, who plans to spend 10 weeks conducting malaria research in Malawi.
Selinsky plans to spend a year in Liberia studying the role of front-line health workers in health care delivery in geographically isolated regions. “While medical school has prepared me well for clinical work, my time in Liberia will give me the opportunity to pursue very focused questions, develop research tools and design interventions with the guidance of both in-country mentors and advisers at home,” said Selinsky.
The fellowship is the only medical student award dedicated to nurturing a career path for physician-scientists in tropical medicine. It is named in honor of Benjamin H. Kean, an internationally acclaimed tropical medicine expert credited with discovering the causes of several diseases, including turista or travelers’ diarrhea.
The complete list of the 2014 Benjamin H. Kean Travel Fellows in Tropical Medicine is available on The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene website.