FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON April 12, 2021

��ɫ���� Announces 2021 Medical Student Essay Winners

MINNEAPOLIS - The ��ɫ���� (AAN) announces the winners of its Medical Student Essay Awards. Sponsored by the AAN, the Medical Student Essay Awards will be highlighted at the ��ɫ����'s 73rd Annual Meeting being held virtually April 17-22, 2021. The Medical Student Essay Awards are meant to stimulate interest in the field of neurology as an exciting and challenging profession by offering highly competitive awards for the best essay. Essays are judged on the quality of the scholarship and suitability for an audience of general neurologists. John Michael Sanchez, Ph.D., of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the winner of the Extended Neuroscience Medical Essay Award. The Medical Student Essay Work Group was impressed with his article on microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system because “these cells are increasingly recognized as important components of the neuroinflammatory response.” Aparna Nutakki, from the University of Chicago in Illinois, is receiving the G. Milton Shy Award for her work on the first inpatient neurology unit in Zambia. She pioneered a stroke data bank which became the first stroke registry in the country. “The applicant's data is expected to assist in informing future public health decisions,” the selection committee said. Duong Chu, of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, dug into medicine’s roots with her essay topic of Pliny the Elder and his contributions to modern neurology. The selection committee called Chu’s essay “highly relevant to neurology from a historical perspective and was a pleasure to read.” Chu is receiving the Roland P. Mackay 2021 Medical Student Essay Award. Abena Kwegyir-Aggrey and April Henry of Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, are co-winners of the Saul R. Korey Award. In their essay, the authors explored which factors may increase the number of medical students matching with a residency program at a given medical school. According to the selection committee, their work identified several important factors that can influence matches, “including early introduction of neuroscience in the pre-clinical years, innovative educational programs and a neurology career exploration program. The ��ɫ���� congratulates all recipients on receiving these awards and looks forward to seeing their work in neurology in the future.

The ��ɫ���� is the leading voice in brain health. As the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals with more than 40,000 members, the AAN provides access to the latest news, science and research affecting neurology for patients, caregivers, physicians and professionals alike. The AAN’s mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all. A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, care and treatment of brain, spinal cord and nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, concussion, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, headache and migraine.

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