Pew funds early-career scientists researching the basis of perplexing health problems

Twenty-two of the nation's most enterprising researchers were named Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts today. The scholarships provide flexible funding to early-career scientists researching the basis of perplexing health problems such as diabetes, autism, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. The new scholars join a prestigious community of researchers who have gone on to become Nobel laureates, MacArthur fellows, Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award winners, and hundreds of other pioneers who earned Pew grants at the start of their careers.

"The Pew scholars program gives innovative scientists both the freedom to take calculated risks and the resources to pursue the most promising, but untried, avenues for scientific breakthroughs," said Rebecca W. Rimel, president and CEO of Pew. "Pew funding provides an 'insurance policy,' allowing our scientists to be adventurous with their research. Though their scientific fields are diverse, their commitment is uniform: harnessing scientific discovery to improve human health."

The scholars program, launched in 1985, has granted more than $120 million in funding to more than 500 scientists at the beginning of their independent careers. The rigorously competitive program awards recipients $240,000 over four years to pursue their projects without direction or restriction. To be considered, applicants must demonstrate excellence and creativity in their research. This year, 179 institutions were invited to nominate a candidate, and 134 eligible nominations were received.

"Now more than ever, young scientists need the support to pursue untested leads," said Craig C. Mello, Ph.D., a 1995 Pew scholar and a 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine. "I am confident that these gifted scholars will make tremendous contributions to science. Their work will provide the world with new knowledge and tools to do tomorrow what seems impossible today."

Pew also directs the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences, which for 22 years has provided support to young Latin American scientists receiving postdoctoral training in the United States.