Scholarship Overview:
The Dr. Alvin Ring Empowerment Scholarship for Laboratory Professionals, established through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), aims to provide financial aid to those pursuing higher education in the medical laboratory sciences. Scholarships range from $1,000-$5,000 depending on applicant qualifications and degree program pursued. Scholarship aid may be used toward certification fees, direct academic tuition, or needs-based expenses to support the student's academic career.
We recommend you gather the following application pieces before starting the submission process:
1. Contact Information
2. Candidate Information
3. Education Information
4. Employer Information (if relevant)
5. Resume/CV (limit to 5 pages max)
6. Personal Statement describing (1) your motivations and goals for your career in laboratory medicine, (2) the impact your community has had on your professional motivations, and (3) how you expect this scholarship to aid in your professional development. (limit to 2000 words, PDF or Word format accepted)
7. Recommendation Letter from an academic or professional supervisor. (can alternatively be emailed to ascpfoundation@ascp.org by supervisor)
Application Timeline:
Application Open: February 26, 2024 to May 31, 2024
Recipients Notified via Email: August 1, 2024
Scholarships Distributed: August 31, 2024
Pre-Requisites:
To foster a more inclusive and diverse laboratory workforce, this scholarship is looking for students from underrepresented populations or from underserved areas of the United States, seeking to serve underserved communities with their education. Candidates must be US Citizens to apply. If you are unsure of whether your area of residence (for students not yet in the laboratory workforce) or employment (for laboratorians in the workforce) qualifies as underserved, this tool can help: https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortage-area/mua-find
Additionally, candidates must be in good academic standing and/or show commitment to staying in the laboratory profession, as demonstrated by their academic or professional reference letter. Candidates must also fit one of the following categories:
1. High-school degree seniors who wish to pursue higher education in medical laboratory sciences, through NAACLS-accredited PBT, MLA, MLT, or MLS programs.
2. Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science Degree seeking students interested in pursuing higher degrees from NAACLS-accredited MLT or MLS programs.
3. Senior-year Bachelors of Science Degree seeking students interested in pursuing higher degrees from NAACLS-accredited MLS programs.
4. High-school, Associates, or Bachelors of Science degree-holding laboratorians actively in the workforce who wish to pursue higher specialization through degrees from NAACLS-accredited PBT, MLA, MLT, MLS, or HTL programs.
Award Issuing Terms:
All scholarship recipients are encouraged to enroll as a member of ASCP. ASCP student membership is free of cost.
This scholarship opportunity will be made possible, in part, by Cooperative Agreement number NU47OE000107 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Scholarship opportunity administration and selection of candidates are the sole responsibility of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC. Recipients of CDC-funded scholarship awards will be asked to sign a contract in which they agree to the following:
1. Create a CDC OneLab REACH account to join the CDC OneLab Network and access free training materials for laboratory professionals through CDC’s learning management system, OneLab REACH.
2. Complete two CDC OneLab REACH courses of their choosing within the scholarship award year and submit certificates of completion to grants@ascp.org.
3. Complete and submit follow-up surveys from ASCP about their professional journey and career path for 5 years following the award year, and respond to requests for quotes, interviews, or testimonials from ASCP.
4. Proof of enrollment into the laboratory science program supported through this scholarship will be required prior to scholarship awards being distributed. If this is not yet available, proof of application submission into the laboratory science program will be accepted, with the understanding that proof of enrollment should be shared (when available).
5. Provide proof of good academic standing at the time of scholarship fund distribution.
6. Agree not to purchase ASCP products or services using scholarship funds.