CAF Awards 26 Students with Patient Incentive Awards Totaling $31,750
March 22, 2018 – CAF is thrilled to announce that 26 students with thalassemia were awarded with a total of $31,750 in scholarship funding as recipients of the CAF Patient Incentive Awards. These awards are open to thalassemia patients who are U.S. residents and are currently pursuing education in a graduate, undergraduate, associate, certificate or vocational level. The purpose of these Awards is to inspire patients to further their education and career goals and to help them live positively with thalassemia. The Patient Incentive Awards range from $250 for those enrolled in six-month certificate programs to $2,000 for students enrolled in MD, JD, or PhD programs.
“Much of the work we do at the Foundation is focused on furthering medical research for better treatment options and for a cure,” says CAF President Anthony Viola. “However, we also work hard to improve the everyday lives of people with thalassemia in other ways like encouraging them to fulfill their greatest dreams. We began the Patient Incentive Awards program to support thalassemia patients pursuing higher education. These students inspire me so much and they prove to the world that thalassemia will not stop them from living the great lives they are destined to live.”
Yasmeen Anis is a fourth year undergraduate student at Flagler College, and is one of the 26 recipients of a Patient Incentive Award this year. “I have always dreamed about being an elementary school teacher, but I never knew if I would be able to do it with my thalassemia always making me miss school and classes to go to doctor appointments,” explains Yasmin. “I have had some incredible teachers and people in my life who have inspired and encouraged me to keep going and NEGU (Never Ever Give Up). The teachers that I have had have truly shaped who I am and I hope that one day I can do the same for my students. The CAF Patient Incentive Award is not only helping me achieve my dream of becoming an elementary school teacher, but is also helping all of my future students as well.”
CAF congratulates each of these remarkable students, and we wish them the very best as they pursue their careers. Below is a partial list of the 2017-2018 Patient Incentive Awards recipients.
Student | University | Degree | Major |
Aaron Cheng | Harvard Medical School | MD | Doctorate Degree |
Akash Chaurasia | Johns Hopkins University | Bachelors | Engineering Computer Science |
Thind Balkarn | University of Washington School of Medicine | Doctorate | MD |
Brianna Gibson | Lehigh University | Bachelors | Pre-Medicine |
Daniel Martinez | Florida Gulf Coast University | Bachelors | Biology |
Hamza Mahmood | Lake Forest College | Bachelors | Biology |
Julian Palmer | Johnson & Wales | Bachelors | Culinary Arts |
Juliana DiSalvo | College of Staten Island | Bachelors | Dramatic Literature with focus on Secondary Education |
Julissa Perez | Saint Xavier University | Bachelors | Biology (Pre-Health) |
Juntra Chanthavisay | Collin College | Associate | Associate of Science |
Kenny Chen | Weill Cornell Medical College | MD | Doctorate Degree |
Kevin Mannino | George State University | Bachelors Degree | Business Administration & Managerial Sciences |
Marc Celestino | Chaffey College | Certificate Program | Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse |
Mohammad Yousef Nawab | Texas Southern University (TSU) | Bachelors | Health Information Management |
Monique Maria | Thomas Jefferson University | Masters | Acute-Care Adult Gerontology Nurse Practioner |
Rishi Kanabar | Harrisburg University of Science & Technology | Masters | MS Data Analytics |
Robert Mannino | Georgia Institute of Technology | Doctorate | Biomedical Engineering |
Roya Khosravi | LSU Paul M. Herbert Law Center | Doctorate | JD |
Sikandar Bangash | University of California San Diego | Bachelors | Bioinformatics |
Syeda Fizza Batool | George Mason University | Bachelors | Systems and Operations Management |
Tobias Larkin | Occidental College | Bachelors | Undecided |
Yasmeen Anis | Flagler College | Bachelors | Elementary Education |
Yendee Ho-Rath | University of Vermont | Bachelors | Animal and Veterinary Sciences |