UCB Scholarship Program Awards $300,000 to Students Living with Crohn...( Scholarship program highlights ex...)

Scholarship program highlights exceptional individuals of all ages who have reached beyond the boundaries of their disease to fulfill educational ambitions

ATLANTA, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- UCB today announced the winners of its third annual UCB Crohn's Scholarship program, which this year awarded a total of $300,000 in scholarships to 31 students diagnosed with Crohn's disease. The scholarship program was established to recognize individuals of all ages who demonstrate remarkable academic ambition and a passion to reach beyond the boundaries of their condition. This year there were 31 scholarship recipients, selected by a team of gastroenterologists from leading institutions across the country.

For people living with Crohn's disease, continuing education can be one of life's most difficult challenges. Due to the nature of the disease, which includes sudden flare ups and difficult symptoms, people with Crohn's often feel isolated and limited in what they can do. "The UCB Crohn's Scholarship program encourages individuals, who have risen above the stigmas attached to Crohn's disease, to continue pursuing their life long dreams and inspire others to feel confident in managing their own condition," said Dr. Marla Dubinsky, Director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and co-chair of the scholarship selection committee.

To date, the UCB Crohn's Scholarship Program has granted $720,000 in scholarships to people with Crohn's seeking higher education. This year's 31 winners were selected from a pool of more than 1,100 applicants from across the country and received one-time scholarships of up to $10,000 to help pursue their academic dreams. The 2008 winners represent 48 states and range in age from 18 to 52. All of the winners will be honored at an awards dinner on Saturday, October 4th, in Orlando, Florida.

James Lewis, 20, of Columbia, South Carolina was among the 31 scholars
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