Merigan Student Scholarship

Thomas C. Merigan, MD, Professor Emeritus of Infectious Diseases, is one of the world’s eminent virologists. In addition to pioneering research of interferon, his work produced novel treatments for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, and herpes viruses. Tom and Sue Merigan established the Sue Merigan Student Scholarship Awards to encourage undergraduates, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and other trainees to pursue a career in infectious diseases research. Candidates are nominated by their faculty mentors and chosen by a committee of Infectious Diseases faculty, and awardees are provided up to $45,000 in support of their research.

Merigan Student Scholars

Meet the 2023 Recipients

Arne Echterhof - mentor Paul Bollyky

Arne is a visiting student in the Bollyky Lab where he is studying bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria.  The Bollyky lab is using bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections. As part of these studies, Arne is studying how phages circulate within the body. 

Sarah Sackeyfio – mentor Julie Parsonnet

Sarah is an Undergraduate student in the Parsonnet lab where they are seeking to understand whether some of the variability in infant immunity relates to skin care practices—e.g., bathing, moisturizing--early in life.  To understand this, Sarah is helping to develop a questionnaire to measure skin care of infants and toddlers and to identify methods to distribute this questionnaire so a diverse population of parents nationally.  

We are currently accepting applications for the FY24 Merigan Student Scholars