Two Indian-Americans were among eight students who were awarded the prestigious Jonas E. Salk Scholarships for medical study by the City University of New York May 10.
The scholarships were given at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Midtown Manhattan in recognition of their outstanding scholarship and research on subjects, including neuroscience, cancer, genetics and molecular biology.
The two Indian-origin students were Muhddesa Lakhana and Joy Patel, both from the City College of New York. Both were inspired to pursue medicine by someone in their families.
Lakhana was inspired by stories about her father’s experiences as a physician in Mumbai before he immigrated to America. Often running out of basic necessities, he and other physicians still managed to treat 60 to 70 patients a day.
Lakhana gained experience volunteering at Elmhurst Hospital’s pediatric emergency room, where she witnessed the doctors’ dedication, compassion and skills. In addition to internships, she worked as a Peer Health Exchange tutor, visiting Harlem high schools and teaching ninth graders about making healthier decisions about marijuana and alcohol. The experience reinforced her interest in patient education.
Patel’s decision to study medicine was inspired by his late grandfather’s commitment to helping those in need. Although he only attended school through the eighth grade, his grandfather worked hard to lay the foundation for a nonprofit hospital in the village in India where he was born. Now open for two years, the hospital serves people from nearby villages, although he didn’t live to see it.
Patel, a biochemistry major, says he is also inspired by Dr. Jonas Salk, who renounced personal profit for creating the polio vaccine, and by Dr. Hunter Adams, founder of the Gesundheit Institute, which practices medicine free of charge.
The Salk Scholarships recognize the high ability and scholarship of students who plan careers in medicine and the biological sciences and who are judged likely to make significant contributions to medicine and research. They are selected on the basis of original research papers undertaken with prominent scientist mentors.
Salk, a 1934 City College graduate, developed the polio vaccine in 1955. He turned down a ticker-tape parade that was offered to honor his discovery, asking that New York City use the money for scholarships. The city provided initial funding for the Salk Scholarships in 1955.
The endowment provides a stipend of $8,000 per scholar, to be appropriated over three or four years of medical studies to help defray medical school costs.
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