UNC Charlotte alumna Casey Rimland recently was named a Gates Cambridge Scholar and will begin study toward a doctorate in surgery at the University of Cambridge in the fall.
Rimland completed a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from the University in May 2012 and began medical school at UNC Chapel Hill as part of an eight-year scholarship through the National Institutes of Health Oxford Cambridge Scholars Program.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarships are prestigious, highly competitive full-cost scholarships that are awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the United Kingdom to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. There were established in 2000 by a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to the Gates Cambridge website, Rimland stated she developed “a deep appreciation for multidisciplinary translational research and international collaboration” at UNC Charlotte. She also said the University provided opportunities for her to conduct research across the disciplines of biology, psychology and chemistry, and she had the chance to conduct research abroad in Brazil.
“These early experiences led me to pursue a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree through the NIH Cambridge Scholars Program,” stated Rimland. “Currently, I am completing my second year of medical school at UNC-Chapel Hill. This fall, I plan to begin my Ph.D. work in the Department of Surgery at Cambridge and at the NIAID at the National Institutes of Health. While at Cambridge, I will work to develop better methods for producing functional liver cells from induced pluripotent stem cell sources.”
Barry Everitt, provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust, said, "We are delighted to announce our new U.S. scholars. They are an outstanding group of individuals from a very diverse range of backgrounds who are both intellectually exceptional and show a dedication to improving the lives of others. We look to them as future leaders who will change the world for the better.”
In addition to being the first UNC Charlotte graduate to be selected for the National Institutes of Health Oxford Cambridge Scholars Program, Rimland was the University’s first Goldwater Scholar.