Physicians

UAMS Student Receives Prestigious Fellowship Award for Cancer Research

Strategic Insights

Jul 31, 2025 — 1 min read

Sydnye Shuttleworth, a student in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, has been awarded a highly competitive fellowship award for aspiring physician-scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI). This prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) is a significant achievement, making Shuttleworth the first M.D./Ph.D. student at UAMS to receive such an award. The award provides four years of funding, totaling $189,128, to support Shuttleworth's research training in the rapidly expanding field of engineering immune cells to combat cancer.

Key Takeaways:

Sydnye Shuttleworth, a student in the UAMS College of Medicine, has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the NCI, making her the first M.D./Ph.D. student at UAMS to receive this prestigious fellowship.
The award, worth $189,128, provides four years of funding for Shuttleworth's tuition, stipend, and research training.
The fellowship focuses on the field of engineering immune cells to eliminate cancer cells, particularly those in solid tumors.
Shuttleworth's mentor, Brian Koss, Ph.D., praises her driven and committed nature, stating that she raises the bar for everyone around her.
Alan Tackett, Ph.D., deputy director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, notes that Shuttleworth's research has the potential to transform immunotherapy treatments for cancer patients.

Statistics:

$189,128: The total value of the NRSA fellowship award over four years.
4 years: The duration of the NRSA fellowship award.
1: The number of M.D./Ph.D. students at UAMS to ever receive an NRSA award from the NCI (Sydnye Shuttleworth).
2: The number of prestigious fellowship awards awarded to Shuttleworth, making her an elite group of physician-scientists nationwide.

Sources:

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences news release, dated August 1, 2025.
Sydnye Shuttleworth, Sydnye Shuttleworth press release, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

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