Contact: Abby Cosenza, acosenza@acc.org,

WASHINGTON (Apr 02, 2022) -

The American College of Cardiology is honoring the outstanding high school and college students selected for its Young Scholars Program in 2020-2021 during the 71^st Annual Scientific Session taking place April 2-4 in Washington.

“It is essential that we teach and encourage young students who show passion and motivation by engaging early in their career journey. These individuals are the future generation of leaders in a multitude of industries,” said ACC President Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC. “Special congratulations to each of these students who have displayed leadership at their schools and an early interest in medicine and science. We are excited to welcome them to the ACC.22.”

In both 2020 and 2021, ACC selected a group of students in the regions around where ACC planned to hold its Annual Scientific Session (Chicago and Atlanta, respectively) to participate in the one-year program that introduced them to the world of cardiology and research. Both ACC.20 and ACC.21 in-person meetings were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and converted to virtual meetings.

ACC.22, will be the culmination of the students’ program. Young scholars will be matched with an ACC Fellow in Training or Early Career Fellow mentor at the ACC Annual Scientific Session, where they will be introduced to the full conference schedule of activities. Students will witness science in action, hearing for the first time the groundbreaking results of late-breaking clinical trials. They will also have the opportunity to attend research presentations, allowing them to witness young scientists report on their own research results, as well as explore exhibits, attend lectures and take advantage of networking opportunities.

Prior to the ACC Annual Scientific Session, each student was paired with a Fellow of the College to help mentor them over the course of the program. The program curriculum included online webinars tailored directly to young scientists beginning their journey into research, periodic meetings with their faculty mentor, an opportunity to be part of one of their mentor's research projects and opportunities for shadowing to allow for direct observations of the clinical world of cardiology.

2020 Young Scholars Program recipients are:

• Shahid Ahmad, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
• Michael Albrecht, Lockport, Illinois
• Maha Alkoli, Carroll High School, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Angela Bylina, Lockport Township High School, Homer Glen, Illinois
• Zachary Cherian, DePaul University, Palatine, Illinois
• Simon Dlugopolski, Moraine Valley Community College, Homer Glen, Illinois
• Nada Elannani, Harold L Richards, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
• Shriya Iyer, Munster High School, Munster, Indiana
• Maahum Jan, University School of Milwaukee, Mequon, Wisconsin
• Firyal Khan, DePaul University, Oak Brook, Illinois
• KendaNaing Kokonaing, Carroll High School, Huntertown, Indiana
• Greta List, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago
• Maya Mikos, Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Illinois
• Omarion Perez, Lanphier High School, Springfield, Illinois
• Makenna Pinkham, University of Illinois, O’Fallon, Illinois
• Anna Rezac, Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Illinois
• David Wang, Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Illinois
• Dolan Whittle, University of Kentucky, Homer Glen, Illinois
• Nia Williams, Springfield Southeast High School, Springfield, Illinois
• Kara Xu, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago

2021 Young Scholars Program recipients are:

• Favour Abolo, University of Texas, Spring, Texas
• Romoke Adenuga, Our Lady of God High School, Glenn Dale, Maryland
• Tofunmi Adewumi, North Cobb High School, Kennesaw, Georgia
• Rachel Adornetto, Athens High School, Athene, Alabama
• Theodora Alese, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Lilburn, Georgia
• Srihitha Dasari, Denmark High School, Cumming, Georgia
• Samanyu Dixit, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Matthews, North Carolina
• Ebrahim Faizullabhoy, The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, Suwanee, Georgia
• Mitchel Grande, Georgia Military College, Ray City, Georgia
• Kinsie Huggins, Duke University, Cypress, Texas
• Vishnu Iyer, University High School of Indiana, Zionsville, Indiana
• Sanyu Kigudde, Woodward Academy, Mabelton, Georgia
• Anaya Kotak, Naperville North High School, Lisle, Illinois
• David Lawrence, St. John Paul II, Huntsville, Alabama
• Abel Lindley, Emory University, Atlanta
• Nicholas Myers, Columbus High, Cataula, Georgia
• Olufemi Ogundimu, Spackenkill High School, Poughkeepsie, New York
• Toluwalope Ogunfowora, Brown University, Hannon, Ontario
• Zaria Owens, Griffin Christian School, Hampton, Georgia
• Sanjana Parise, Spring Valley High School, Columbia, South Carolina
• Oyeronke Popoola, University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Luke Ragan, Tennessee High School, Bristol, Tennessee
• Stephanie Robert, Immokalee High School, Immokalee, Florida
• Bryan Royson, South Carolina Connections Academy, Columbia, South Carolina
• Klauss Saint Fleur, Paulding County High School, Dallas, Georgia
• Amy Shi, Tennessee High School, Bristol, Tennessee
• Alexis Smith, Tri-Cities High School, Union City, Georgia

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its more than 52,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.

###

< Back to Listings