QuidelOrtho Global Health Scholarships awarded to UArizona Health Sciences students

Five University of Arizona Health Sciences students who are pursuing doctoral and professional degrees in medicine, nursing, pharmacology and public health were awarded QuidelOrtho Global Health Scholarships to help fund their advanced education.

The scholarship recipients are: Stefanie Boyles from the College of Nursing; Yifan Chao from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; Brielle Edwards from the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy; Ademidun (Demi) Majekodunmi from the College of Medicine – Phoenix; and Tristen Eddie from the College of Medicine – Tucson.

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QuidelOrtho Global Health Scholarships are meant to prepare students to build and lead the future of health care to enhance the well-being of people around the world. QuidelOrtho Corporation is a leading provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, cellular-based virology assays and molecular diagnostic systems.

“I care about global health more than anything else,” Majekodunmi said. “My upbringing spanned three continents with very different health care infrastructure, and being exposed to and participating in the various health care systems around the world has been a major motivator in my pursuit toward becoming a doctor who improves global health care access and care equity. Thanks to the QuidelOrtho scholarship, I’m one step closer to this lifelong goal.”

Boyles said the scholarship will help her along her career path.

“My goal is to become a nurse-scientist and engage in research that will build the scientific foundation for clinical nursing practice with the goal of improving patient care and health outcomes,” Boyles said. “I would also like to be an expert nursing faculty member in genomics to encourage and equip the next generation of diverse nurses.  As a military spouse and mother of four, there are unique burdens to reach my goals, but the QuidelOrtho scholarship is alleviating some of those burdens and allowing me to start my journey sooner rather than later.”

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Edwards said she plans to use her scholarship to aid her goal of helping the community.

“As a future pharmacist, researching how pharmaceutical compounds can improve quality of life is one interest I am most passionate about,” Edwards said. “I am currently pursuing this as a volunteer researcher in a pediatric lab studying movement disorders. Receiving the QuidelOrtho Scholarship will allow me to spend more time volunteering in the lab and better prepare me for a career focused on pursuing new pharmaceutical discoveries to help my community.”

“Each of the scholarship recipients has shown a remarkable drive to do their part to improve health care and resilience in communities near and far,” said Michael D. Dake, MD, senior vice president for UArizona Health Sciences. “These scholarships will help more students fulfill their visions of joining the health care workforce and improving care in Arizona, as well as throughout the rest of the country and world.”

The deans of each college established the criteria to determine scholarship winners, and sought to recognize students with diverse talents, experiences and perspectives to contribute to health care around the world. The scholarships range from $11,000 to $12,500 annually and are renewable for three or four years, depending on the college.