By Alicia Rohan
UAB News
The American Association of University Women awarded a 2016-17 International Fellowship to Kemi Ogunsina, a master’s candidate in epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“The AAUW International Fellowship is a prestigious award that will further strengthen Kemi’s commitment to public health research focused on cancer prevention and early detection among women in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria,” said Tomi Akinyemiju, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology.
AAUW International Fellows are selected for their academic achievement, scholarly promise, and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Ogunsina is a medical doctor from Nigeria, with experience working on the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and GATEs-funded projects. She studies breast and cervical cancer in middle-income countries.
“I am honored to be a recipient of the prestigious AAUW scholarship award,” Ogunsina said. “This award has given me the opportunity to enhance my training in epidemiologic research and will enable me to continue my work in the area of cancer screening and prevention among women in low- and middle-income countries.”
For the 2016-17 academic year, AAUW awarded a total of $3.7 million to more than 230 scholars, research projects, and programs promoting education and equity for women and girls through six fellowships and grants programs. The first AAUW International Fellowship was awarded in 1917, making this one of the oldest and most prestigious fellowships in the United States.
“Through our International Fellowship program, AAUW positively impacts women and girls globally,” said Gloria Blackwell, AAUW vice president of Fellowships, Grants and Global Programs. “This year, we are funding projects related to the environment, health and women’s leadership, to name just a few. Our members are very concerned about the status of women here and abroad, and these fellowship programs allow us to extend our reach in a meaningful way. It’s all about women helping women.”
AAUW is one of the world’s leading supporters of graduate women’s education, having awarded more than $100 million in fellowships, grants and awards to 12,000 women from more than 140 countries since 1888. The AAUW Fellowships and Grants program is one of the oldest and largest programs in the world exclusively for women.
