UCB, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has announced the 2008 UCB Crohn’s Scholarship Program, which will award 30, one-time scholarships of up to $10,000 each to students diagnosed with Crohn’s disease who demonstrate academic ambition and drive to reach beyond the boundaries of their condition. The 2008 program is a continuation of an annual scholarship established in 2006. Since the program’s inception, UCB has awarded more than $420,000 in scholarships to students of any age, diagnosed with Crohn’s, and seeking an associate’s, undergraduate or graduate degree or enrolled in a trade school educational program.

Winners of the 2007 scholarship were selected from a pool of more than 900 applicants representing all 50 states. Recipients were evaluated by a selection committee of eight leading gastroenterologists specializing in the treatment of Crohn’s disease and were considered based on their applications, personal essays, and letters of recommendation.

“The applicants are truly remarkable,” said David Robinson, Vice President, Immunology Business Unit, UCB. “Their determination and perseverance, despite the many challenges they face due to Crohn’s, is an inspiration and a credit to their own drive and fortitude. They are all gifted individuals, and I have no doubt they will reach their academic and personal goals.”

Riva Litman, a senior at the University of California, Berkeley and a 2007 UCB Scholarship recipient, impressed the committee with her ambitious dedication to making a difference in the lives of people with Crohn’s. As a high school student in California, Litman traveled to Washington, D.C. to seek funding for research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Her passion has continued to grow through her educational and extracurricular endeavors, and this past summer Litman was selected to work as an intern in the Office of Presidential Speechwriting at the White House.

Crohn’s is a chronic and debilitating inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting more than 500,000 people in the United States. Crohn’s sufferers may go through unpredictable periods when the disease flares up and causes symptoms. These episodes may be followed by times of remission-periods in which symptoms disappear or decrease and good health returns.

About the Scholarship Program

The program is designed for applicants of any age and applicants must be legal and permanent residents of the United States; diagnosed with Crohn’s disease by a physician, seeking an associate’s, undergraduate or graduate degree or enrolled in a trade school educational program; enrolled in or awaiting acceptance from a United States-based institution of higher education for fall semester 2008; and students who demonstrate academic ambition and embrace a way of life that overcomes the boundaries of living with Crohn’s disease.

For more information and applications for the 2008 program, visit www.CrohnsAndMe.com.

Riva Litman, a University of California, Berkeley senior, is a recipient of a 2007 UCB Crohn’s Scholarship.

Source NAPSI

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