Joseph McAbee, third-year medical student at Wake Forest School of Medicine, has been chosen as one of 40 young scholars in the country to receive a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. McAbee also was selected to participate in the National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge (NIH OxCam) Scholars Program. He is the first Wake Forest School of Medicine student to receive either of these prestigious scholarships.
McAbee will pursue a Ph.D. in clinical neurosciences at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Through the NIH OxCam Scholars Program, in collaboration with the Gates Cambridge program, McAbee will perform two years of research at Cambridge and two years of research at the NIH.
“This is an honor and a privilege for both Joseph and Wake Forest School of Medicine,” said Edward Abraham, M.D., dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine. “We are inspired by Joseph’s drive and curiosity which are key attributes for this next generation of physician leaders.”
Upon completion of his Ph.D., McAbee will return for his fourth and final year of medical school at Wake Forest Baptist. His career goal is to develop better treatment strategies for glioblastoma, a fast-growing type of central nervous system tumor that forms from supportive tissue of the brain and spinal cord.
Established through a $210 million donation to Cambridge from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2001, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship Program aims to build a global network of future leaders who are committed to improving the lives of others.
The NIH OxCam Scholars program seeks to provide students with an experience in international, collaborative research by having scholars work with a mentor at Cambridge or Oxford and a mentor at the NIH to design a project aimed at answering a shared research question.
Media Relations
Erin Harris: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587
Shannon Putnam: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587