First-Year P&S Student Wins 2004 National Science Scholarship From J. Edgar Hoover Foundation

New York, NY – June 2004 – Joseph F. D’Angelo, vice president and director of the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation, announced that Gina Badalato, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons (P&S) Class of 2007, is the recipient of the prestigious 2004 J. Edgar Hoover Foundation Scientific Scholarship, awarded annually to only one student from an exclusive pool of applicants nationwide. Ms. Badalato will use the $25,000 award to defray expenses associated with her medical school education.

Ms. Badalato, a New York City native, graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in biological science in June 2003. While an undergraduate, she received a full-tuition presidential scholarship, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society, and was named a “Fordham University Emerging Leader.” In her spare time, Ms. Badalato gave more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service to Lawrence Hospital (Bronxville, N.Y.); mentored and tutored young women at a South Bronx community center; and worked with terminally ill patients as an intern at Jansen Memorial Hospice (Tuckahoe, N.Y.).

Each year, the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation invites a small group of top-tier academic institutions to nominate one exceptional upperclassman or graduate student for its national scientific scholarship contest. The foundation then chooses the recipient, who must be pursuing a degree in a scientific field, from this select candidate pool. The winner may use the $25,000 award to pay tuition or academic research expenses.

“We review candidates from the entire nation for the best and brightest young men and women who have shown the greatest potential in advancing science, not only in their respective institutions, but for the good of mankind everywhere,” says Mr. D’Angelo. “This award recognizes Ms. Badalato’s excellent background, her obvious love of science and fellow man, and the promise of a brilliant future.”

Ms. Badalato—who will spend this summer as a clinical research assistant at a northern Manhattan family health center, developing tools and methodologies to improve patient satisfaction—eventually hopes to specialize in some area of geriatric medicine and pursue a career in medical education as a clinical professor.

“I am so flattered and grateful that the Hoover Foundation has chosen to support and recognize me in this manner,” said Ms. Badalato. “This is such an honor and a wonderful opportunity—one that will allow me to realize my full potential in my chosen profession. I promise to uphold the principles of ‘freedom, opportunity, integrity, and justice’ that Mr. Hoover endorsed, incorporating these core values in every aspect of my life as a medical practitioner, researcher, and educator.”

“We are thrilled that we were chosen to submit a nomination for such an exclusive award—and, of course, even more pleased to hear of Gina’s selection,” said Linda Lewis, M.D., senior associate dean for student affairs at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. “Gina is one of our most promising students, a young scholar whose tremendous intellectual gifts and compassion for human suffering will take her far in the medical profession. I am certain that the Hoover Foundation could not have made a better choice, and I commend the selection committee for its decision.”

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Located in New York City, Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic and clinical research, medical education, and health care. The medical center includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, and other health professionals at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the School of Dental & Oral Surgery, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. The pioneering tradition of Columbia University health scientists, who have achieved some of the 20th century's most significant medical breakthroughs, continues today.

Based in Hilton Head, S.C., the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation is a non profit organization that provides grants to academic institutions and scholarships to worthy young men and women pursuing careers in law, law enforcement, and the forensic sciences. Since its formation three decades ago, the foundation has provided approximately $4 million to more than 800 needy students.

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Edgar Hoover Foundation, Hoover Foundation, New York City, Physicians Surgeons