UMD Biological Sciences and Computer Science Double Major LeAnne Young Awarded Full-Tuition Scholarship to Medical School
LeAnne Young, a University of Maryland senior double majoring in biological sciences and computer science, has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM), a partnership between the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University.
Young selected the CCLCM for its innovative five-year program that includes a year of conducting medical science research. Established in 2002, the program is designed to train graduates with broad-based clinical expertise and experience in research.
“Just being able to attend medical school is such a blessing, and to be supported by a full-tuition scholarship is just beyond me,” said Young. “I think it really shows how much CCLCM supports their students by giving them all possible tools to succeed.”
Young’s interest in science and medicine became clear when she was a young child. To learn how the body worked, she read her parents’ encyclopedia of common childhood diseases. Later, as a volunteer at the George Washington University Hospital, she discovered she enjoyed talking with patients and wanted a career that combined both science and the human element.
“LeAnne has epitomized that dream student: intelligent, engaged and excited. In particular, it was fun to watch her fall in love with research over the past year,” said Jonathan Dinman, mentor to Young’s PANACEA Gemstone team and chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. “Research awakened a true passion in her; she transformed from an ends-driven pre-med to a means-oriented lab rat.”
Young’s Gemstone team wants to make it easier to alter gene expression in cells, because current methods of gene expression alteration harm cells, lack specificity and provide limited results.
Young’s favorite classes at Maryland include the biology of cancer course taught by Biology Associate Professor Ibrahim Ades and the virology course taught by Dinman. She found they were interesting, stimulating and helped her to prepare for her medical career.
“These classes challenged us to think about the science behind some of the fundamental discoveries we now take for granted,” said Young.
Active in the campus community, Young is co-president of the Food Recovery Network UMD Chapter, helping to recover over 15,000 pounds of leftover food per semester that is then donated to local homeless shelters. She is the flute/oboe section leader for the Gamer Symphony Orchestra and a member of the UMD Club Running team. Young is also organizing a volunteer group of runners called Girls on the Run, training elementary and middle school girls to run a 5K race, and mentoring and teaching self-confidence.
