Doctoral candidate and graduate research assistant in the department of genetics Brittany Jenkins has been awarded one of 39 Gilliam Fellowships by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute:

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has selected 39 new Gilliam fellows, exceptional doctoral students who have the potential to be leaders in their fields and the desire to advance diversity and inclusion in the sciences.

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“The Gilliam fellows are outstanding students who have the potential to be real leaders in science,” says David Asai, senior director for science education at HHMI. Each fellow will receive an annual award totaling $46,000, which includes a stipend, a training allowance, and an institutional allowance, for up to three years. But the Gilliam Fellowship is more than an award for graduate students, Asai says. It’s also an award for their thesis advisors.

Brittany's mentor is Melissa Davis, Assistant Scientist in Population Health Sciences at the Henry Ford Health System and previously a faculty member in the medical partnership and genetics. Jenkins' research area of interest addresses health disparities in breast cancer between global and ethnic populations. "Specifically, I am interested in chemokine networks and their role in immune cell migration in cancer in the context of an atypical chemokine receptor (ACKR1)," reads her departmental bio. Congratulations to Jenkins, Davis and their colleagues in genetics on this prestigious fellowship from HHMI. Great news to begin a new semester.