Submitted by Emily Lopez
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada AbbVie IBD Scholarship, a yearly program that awards scholarships to post-secondary students living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis who exemplify outstanding leadership in their community and strive to maintain an optimal level of wellness. To celebrate this milestone, we’ve doubled the number of $5,000 scholarships, which support each recipient’s academic and career goals, from 10 to 20 recipients.
This year, Lauren Baerg, a first-year graduate student from Tobermory, ON currently pursuing her Masters in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto has been awarded the AbbVie IBD Scholarship in recognition of the many ways she has helped others living with this disease. Five years ago, Lauren’s life changed when she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. While her experiences were physically and emotionally challenging, Lauren gained a sense of community and inspiration for her career. From acting as President of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Hamilton Chapter to belonging to McMaster University’s Crohn’s and Colitis Club throughout her undergraduate degree, you can find Lauren taking on leadership roles in the IBD community.
While at McMaster, Lauren acted as the Lead Teaching Assistant for Health Solutions Design Project, joined the McMaster Undergraduate Women in STEM Club as the VP of Finance and Administration, and became a Research Assistant at the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute. She’s now closing her chapter at McMaster and moving on to pursue a graduate degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto with her studies focused on probiotic therapies for IBD.
For more information on Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and the AbbVie IBD Scholarship visit www.crohnsandcolitis.ca
