BenJammin McAllister Scholarship Fund
Thank you!
We are grateful for your passion to honor Ben through supporting young medical students and fellows to be the next generation of physicians and researchers who share Dr. O’Donnell’s passion and drive to make a true difference in the field of cancer and in the care of patients. Thank you for your consideration and generosity.
McAllister’s Scholarships
Emily Smith
2021 – 2022
Emily is a 21-year-old student scientist from Maryland whose career interests are exceptionally aligned with Dr. O’Donnell’s research. A current senior undergraduate at the University of Chicago, Emily is majoring in Biology (specializing in genetics) and minoring in Latin American Studies. She is passionate about genetics and plans to pursue a career in pediatric oncology. In fact, she enjoys working with patients so much that she is also a volunteer tutor at the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital.
Natalie Reizine, MD
2019 – 2021
The Benjamin McAllister Research Fellowship in Pharmacogenomics is a uniquely specialized post-doctoral training program developed to provide the most talented young scientists critical clinical research expertise. It is a great pleasure to introduce the second named fellow, Natalie Reizine, MD.
Since 2015, Dr. Reizine has trained at the University of Chicago Medicine in multiple impressive roles. Immediately following graduation from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Dr. Reizine completed a one-year internship at UChicago Medicine, then an internal medicine residency in the Department of Medicine. What makes Dr. Reizine’s resume even more impressive is her completion of the prestigious Maclean Center for Medical Ethics Fellowship-the oldest, largest, and most successful clinical ethics fellowship in the world.
Today, Dr. Reizine is in her second year of a rigorous hematology and oncology fellowship, and at the same time started an additional fellowship in clinical pharmacology and pharmacogenomics-led, of course, by Peter O’Donnell, MD.
Tien M. Truong Pharm. D., Ph.D.
2018 – 2020
Dr. Truong is an accomplished and dedicated scientist, even now, as her career is just getting started. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia, Dr. Truong went on to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. There, she graduated Cum Laude and received the Pfizer Consumer Healthcare R&D Leading for Innovation Award, among many other accolades. During her time at VCU, Dr. Truong conducted research–publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals, presented posters, and more.
Noura Choudhury
2017 – 2018
Noura was born in Wheaton, IL and grew up with an unusually
avid interest in knitting and a love of Eggo waffles dipped in tea.
Her interest in cancer research began early, when her oncologist father encouraged her to spend a summer in high school working
in the laboratory of one of his colleagues. There, she learned how to use a pipette for the first time, and hasn’t spent much time
since then without one. She attended Brown University for
undergraduate education and studied English Literature and
biology. She was selected for Phi Beta Kappa honors, graduated
magna cum laude and completed an honors thesis in biology. She
went on to attend medical school at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine…
Annabel Boeke
2017 – 2018
Annabel Boeke grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She studied history and chemistry at Bowdoin College in Maine. Following graduation, she worked as a research assistant in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. There, she developed a love both for the excitement of scientific research and the mysteries of the human brain. After working in the lab, she attended the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.
CJ Christian
2017 – 2018
CJ Christian, a first-year medical student working with Dr. Peter O’Donnell, was selected as the Benjamin McAllister Research Scholar. He will be conducting research on pharmacogenomic implementation this summer. Congrats, CJ!
Other ways to give
There are many ways to make a contribution to the University of Chicago Medicine.
To donate by mail, you may use any of the following methods:
- Online, via: giving.uchicago.edu/ben-jammin-bash
- Mail your check (made payable to the University of Chicago with the memo “Benjamin McAllister Fund)
University of Chicago
Office of Medicine and Biological Sciences
C/O Mollie Kolosky
130 E. Randolph, Suite 2500
Chicago, IL 60601
The Benjamin McAllister Fund for Medicine and Research Education
The University of Chicago Medicine and the Pritzker School of Medicine are dedicated to inspiring students and trainees of exceptional promise and preparing them to become the leading physicians, scientists, researchers, and educators of tomorrow. These scholarships fund opportunities are under Dr. Peter H. O’Donnell – enabling Ben’s legacy to live on in their research and accomplishments.
The Benjamin McAllister Summer Scholar
Under close mentor-ship from faculty like Dr. O’Donnell, students spend twelve weeks working on a research project. The program has proven to be so enriching and significant for participants that 50 percent of participating students continue to develop their project through the remainder of their time in medical school. The Summer Research Project is the core of the education of our students and the building blocks from which we developed the Scholarship and Discovery Tracks within Pritzker’s curriculum.
The Summer Research Project is unique because few schools provide the mentor-ship and structure that Pritzker does, coupled with a generous stipend of $5,600. All medical students are encouraged to participate, noting the imprint this program makes in their research careers.
Your gift would provide a stipend for one student per year who will be known as the Benjamin McAllister Scholar.
The Benjamin McAllister Research Award
The Benjamin McAllister Research Award will provide a financial award to one or more students per year who have demonstrated outstanding performance in research, making it possible for the most talented students to continue their research and bring their work to the fore.
Students will apply for the Benjamin McAllister Research Award and will be able to use the funds towards enriching their research experiences—for example, to cover expenses such as conference fees and travel, lab fees, and other costs.
The Benjamin McAllister Research Fellow
The 2-year fellowship program in Pharmacogenomics, for which Dr. O’Donnell is a faculty research mentor, provides research support and a stipend for a fellow in the area of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenomic clinical implementation. Trainees will have the ability to develop clinical research expertise within an established research group with the University of Chicago Center for Personalized Therapeutics.
Once again, this would enable Ben’s legacy to live on through a mentee of Dr. O’Donnell’s, but in this instance, the Benjamin McAllister Research Fellow would be given the award to support specialized post-doctoral training, following graduation from medical school or a doctoral program.