Prestigious fellowship to fund student’s research in South Africa

Brady Beecham

Brady Beecham, an M.D./Ph.D. student, has become the first UNMC student to receive the Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellowship.

The National Institutes of Health sponsors the fellowship and will provide Beecham $25,000 to study for a year in South Africa, where she will conduct HIV/AIDS research with African scienist Quarrisha Abdool Karim, Ph.D.

“This is just such a cool fellowship,” said Beecham, a Lincoln native. “It’s a great opportunity and it promises to be a sobering and intense educational experience.”

Beecham is one of just 28 students from around the country to receive the fellowship, which allows recipients to study with top NIH researchers who work in developing countries.

The fellowship includes a strong mentorship component and Beecham — whose Ph.D. emphasis will be in HIV/AIDS epidemiology — is particularly excited to work closely with Dr. Abdool Karim.

“It’s a great opportunity and it promises to be a sobering and intense educational experience.” Brady Beecham

“She’s one of the authorities on HIV/AIDS research and she’s published extensively on the subject, which is proving to be the defining epidemic of our era,” Beecham said.

While in South Africa, Beecham will conduct epidemiology work and also assist with clinical trials.

She will work near Durban on the east coast of South Africa. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has particularly ravaged this portion of the country.

Beecham — who will leave for South Africa in late July — is an excellent choice for the fellowship and her selection reflects strongly on the quality of UNMC’s students, said Susan Swindells, M.B.B.S., medical director of the UNMC HIV/AIDS clinic.

Brady to blog Fogarty fellowship recipient Brady Beecham will blog periodically while she studies in South Africa. UNMC Today will post notices when Beecham provides blog updates.

“I’m thrilled for Brady,” Dr. Swindells said. “She is incredibly smart and she’ll do great work during this fellowship.”

Shelley Smith, Ph.D., director of the UNMC M.D./Ph.D., program mirrored Dr. Swindells’ enthusiasm.

“This is a wonderful award for Brady, and it will be an excellent addition to her training as a physician-scientist,” Dr. Smith said. “Brady already has a background in public health, and she made the decision to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. to combine medical training with research in health care delivery.

“The Fogarty fellowship is a wonderful way to start this phase of her training in translational research, and we anticipate that she will be able to build her thesis work on the experiences she has in the coming year. This is truly an exciting opportunity for her, and we are very proud of her achievement.”