Read the full story by Susan Green, published by the Geisel School of Medicine.

Lye-Yeng Wong ’18 and Freddy Vazquez ’18 will each be spending one year conducting research in their areas of interest, compliments of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, respectively.

An advocate for global health issues, Wong is heading to South Africa this summer as a Doris Duke International Clinical Research Fellow. This fellowship funds students interested in global health by giving them an opportunity to conduct research in an international setting.

As a recipient of the prestigious and highly competitive fellowship, Wong will spend the year in South Africa participating in an HIV project looking at cardiovascular disease in HIV patients treated with HAART therapy. HAART therapy refers to a customized combination of three drugs—often referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy—prescribed to manage HIV and reduce the likelihood of the virus developing resistance.

Vazquez is among 42 talented students, selected through a competitive process, by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to participate in this year’s Medical Research Scholars Program. The yearlong residential enrichment program located on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., represents the organization’s commitment to training the next generation of clinician-scientists and biomedical researchers.