Announcing the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research
May 11, 2018
To:All BGS Faculty
From:J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
Jonathan A. Epstein, MD
Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto, PhD
Dear BGS Faculty,
We are pleased to announce that the Blavatnik Family Foundation is directing a $2 million gift to create the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research in the Penn Biomedical Graduate Studies Program. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has a strong history of supporting talented young scientists at premier institutions around the globe. The foundation is headed by American industrialist and philanthropist Mr. Len Blavatnik, the founder of Access Industries, a privately-held, global industrial group.
The Blavatnik Family Fellowship will be competitively awarded to six BGS students for each of the next four academic years. By 2021, the Blavatnik Family Fellowship will have impacted twenty-four young scientists, all Blavatnik Fellows, providing a crucial boost at the very moment these talented trainees are launching as independent investigators. Any student in years three to five of the BGS program, regardless of any existing awards or current funding sources, is eligible for this distinguished one-year Fellowship. We will solicit nominees via the BGS Graduate Group Chairs in the coming days.
The BGS program is among the strongest in the nation, offering world class scientific resources and deeply committed senior faculty inspired to train the next generation of investigators. BGS is highly selective in admissions and a leader in the receipt of NIH training grants.
Every day, BGS students explore the frontiers of biomedical research and develop new therapies to improve human health. We are delighted to partner with the Blavatnik Family Foundation to accelerate leading research and cultivate outstanding young minds at the beginning of their scientific careers. The Blavatnik Family Fellowship will foster mentorship, creativity, and collaboration — all components of the best biomedical research.