OMRF names 12 state students as Fleming Scholars

OKLAHOMA CITY, May 12, 2009 — The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has named 12 Oklahoma high school and college students as Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars for 2009.

The students, chosen from a statewide pool of applicants, will comprise the 54th class of Fleming Scholars at OMRF. This year’s class will spend June and July working in laboratories with senior-level OMRF scientists on ongoing research projects.

The Scholars’ projects will involve a wide range of illnesses, from lupus to heart disease. The summer scholarship also carries a $3,000 stipend for each student.

“These are some of Oklahoma’s most talented science students, and we hope their experience this summer will open their eyes and challenge them in new ways,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D. “As they learn more about the world of medical research, their enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity are contagious. So it’s a program that benefits students and mentors alike.”

Since the program began in 1956, more than 100 Fleming Scholars have gone on to careers as biomedical researchers and physicians, including three current OMRF scientists:

Rodger McEver, M.D. (Oklahoma City, Fleming class of 1965);
Judith James, M.D., Ph.D. (originally from Pond Creek, class of 1988); and
Andrea Sestak, M.D., Ph.D. (Edmond, class of 1984).

The 2009 Fleming Scholars are:

• Travis Chapman, Moore, Baylor University
• Kristin Colman, Shawnee, Cedarville University
• Destry Elms, Boise City, Oklahoma City University
• D. Frank Han, Edmond, Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
• Jacob Keeling, Enid, Oklahoma State University
• Collin Kent, Tulsa, Duke University
• Ganga Moorthy, Alva, University of Oklahoma
• Sean Olsen, Chickasha, Redlands Community College
• Melissa Peters, Geary, Geary High School
• Alim Ramji, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
• Maria Vera, Tulsa, Oklahoma State University
• Y. Margaret Wang, Stillwater, Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics

For more information on the program, go to www.omrf.org/fleming.

About OMRF
OMRF (omrf.org) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and developing more effective treatments for human disease. Chartered in 1946, its scientists focus on such critical research areas as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease.

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