Making Life Easier for Post-Secondary Students with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Crohn's and Colitis Canada (CNW Group/Crohn's and Colitis Canada)

$5,000 scholarships for 15 students in partnership with AbbVie Canada

TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2024 /CNW/ - Crohn's and Colitis Canada has announced its annual AbbVie IBD Scholarship recipients. The students will each receive $5,000 to lighten the financial burden of post-secondary education while they navigate living with a chronic illness.

"We're thrilled to support another 15 students dealing with these lifelong, challenging diseases on top of their studies," said Lori Radke, President and CEO of Crohn's and Colitis Canada. "We're making it easier for them to pursue their studies, passions and interests. Their stories of resilience and giving back to their communities are truly inspiring."

"At AbbVie, we strive to empower Canadians living with IBD to enable them to reach a fulfilling life, and it's an honour for us to partner with Crohn's and Colitis Canada on this important program for the thirteenth consecutive year," said Rami Fayed, Vice President and General Manager of AbbVie Canada. "Many students living with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis must delay post-secondary education because of the burden of their disease. We're pleased to see that these scholarships may help ease the financial burden, helping students pursue their advanced academic studies to reach their personal goals."

The recipients are:

• Charlie Bender, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
• Fanny Brouillette, Université de Sherbrooke
• Meghan Cymbron, University of Western Ontario
• Sophie Eisen, University of Toronto
• Wynne Fitzpatrick, College of New Caledonia, Prince George, British Columbia, Clinton Shard Memorial Scholarship Recipient
• Grace Garvey, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
• Stephanie Goodyear, University of Guelph
• Joshua Haney, University of Winnipeg
• Jessica Hawkes, Yorkville University, Fredericton, New Brunswick
• Justin Knight, McMaster University, Hamilton
• Cristian Massaro, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
• Justin Mikhail, University of Alberta, Edmonton
• Kara Paziuk, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
• Natasha Tooke, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
• Carter Vossen-Duguay, University of New Brunswick, Saint John

To learn more about the AbbVie IBD Scholarship Program recipients, visit crohnsandcolitis.ca/2024recipients.

More about the AbbVie IBD Scholarship Program

Crohn's and Colitis Canada partnered with AbbVie Canada in 2012 to launch the AbbVie IBD Scholarship Program to support students in Canada to achieve their academic goals while making a meaningful difference in their communities. Including this year's recipients, a total of 154 students have received scholarships. The Program helps students spend more time on their studies, pursue their passions and get involved with causes close to their hearts. 

About Crohn's and Colitis in Canada

More than 322,000 people in Canada live with Crohn's or colitis and an estimated 470,000 will by 2035.

These diseases can be diagnosed at any age, but the typical age of onset is early adulthood, typically between age 20-29. Unfortunately, the number of new diagnoses is rising most rapidly in children under the age of six years old. Crohn's and colitis cause the body to attack healthy tissue in the bowels, which causes inflammation of all or part of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common symptoms include severe abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue, internal bleeding, and an unpredictable and urgent need to use the washroom. 

About Crohn's and Colitis Canada

We are on a relentless journey to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by these diseases.

Our 2023-2026 Impact Strategy creates a roadmap for our journey with a focus on:

• Accelerating the impact of research – address key gaps and success factors; shorten the timeline from discovery to patient impact  
• Reaching further – help more people with Crohn's and colitis and their caregivers with our wide range of programs  
• Boosting awareness and understanding – engage and motivate Canadians  
• Driving system change – advocate and partner to influence change  

Follow us at crohnsandcolitis.ca, @getgutsycanada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and at Crohn's and Colitis Canada on YouTube and LinkedIn. 

About AbbVie Canada

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.ca. Follow AbbVie Canada on Twitter, on Instagram, or find us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Crohn's and Colitis Canada

For media inquiries, contact: Paul Kilbertus, Senior Manager, Communications and Public Relations, Crohn's and Colitis Canada, [email protected], 647-567-4690