Key Points
- The ACCESS FUS Scholars Program will provide educational and research opportunities to undergraduate and early-career scholars from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds.
- The Foundation’s goal is to help create a focused ultrasound community that is more diverse and inclusive and create career paths for those who would not otherwise have the opportunity.
- The program will build upon current internship initiatives and establish a new postdoctoral fellowship position.
- ACCESS FUS is supported by a dedicated fund, and the first gift was generously made by Gladstone Jones, former Vice Chair of the Xavier University of Louisiana Board of Trustees.
L to R: Ella Taylor, Abey Babu, Adeoluwa Adedeji, Erick Lassair, Neal Kassell, MD, and Meredith Woo
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has launched the ACCESS FUS Scholars Program to provide educational and research opportunities to undergraduate and early-career scholars from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. The goal of the program is to create career paths for those who would not otherwise have the opportunity.
As part of its mission to cultivate the next generation of focused ultrasound leaders, the Foundation recognizes the disparities – including gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic – that limit the opportunities of many young people to advance in our field. ACCESS FUS aims to help create a focused ultrasound community that is more diverse and inclusive, ensuring the best and brightest choose careers in focused ultrasound and thereby strengthen the entire field. To do so, the Foundation is devoting resources to more broadly raising awareness for the technology and the Foundation’s work and building upon an existing network of partnerships with universities and other organizations that will enable the recruitment of potential scholars from a much wider network.
“The Foundation’s mission is to bring focused ultrasound to patients as quickly as possible, and in order to do that, we need people with different backgrounds and lived experiences bringing their perspectives and ideas to the field,” said the Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer, Jessica Foley, PhD. “We ultimately want to break down barriers that may be limiting access to our field and promote the advancement of young researchers.”
Current Collaborations
To date, the Foundation has established partnerships with Xavier University of Louisiana, the Washington Economic Club, and STEM2VA to provide internship opportunities. Since 2021, three scholars from Xavier University of Louisiana have made important contributions during summer internships at the Foundation’s offices in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Foundation has also hosted interns from the Washington, DC, area as part of the Economic Club of Washington’s Urban Alliance Summer Internship Program – which allows scholars to gain work experience, professional development, and financial support to offset college expenses. Finally, the Foundation hosted an intern through STEM2VA, a newly established program by our long-time partner Virginia Bio that connects undergraduate and graduate students with life science opportunities in Virginia for an eight-week paid internship experience.
Meet all the 2022 Summer Interns >
Future Initiatives
In the coming months, the Foundation will establish an ACCESS FUS Internship and an ACCESS FUS Postdoctoral Fellowship. For these new positions, applicants from groups that have been historically underrepresented or excluded in the biomedical workforce – including but not limited to racial and ethnic groups, the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with mental or physical disabilities, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds – are especially encouraged to apply.
More information and instructions on how to apply to be an ACCESS FUS scholar will be announced soon.
Program Support
The Foundation has recently established a dedicated fund to support the ACCESS FUS Scholars Program. This fund has been initiated by a generous donation from Gladstone Jones, former Vice Chair of the Xavier University of Louisiana Board of Trustees.
“The Foundation’s decision to invest in and invite these next generation professionals into its important work demonstrates incredible leadership,” said Jones. “I recently had a visit with two of the Xavier University of Louisiana interns at the office, and I was so impressed to see their raw excitement to be working with the Foundation. As a board member at Xavier University for over decade, I know how hard these young aspiring professionals work to overcome their economic and education challenges, and to see the Foundation opening its doors to invite them in at the highest level is just terrific. We are thrilled to support the Foundation’s efforts with these future stars.”
If you have interest in supporting this new initiative or have ideas or connections for partnerships, please contact Jessica Foley, PhD, at jfoley@fusfoundation.org.