The American Friends Scholarship Fund

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1 The American Friends Scholarship Fund

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4 I m having a great experience at the School; its interdisciplinary approach has really broadened my mind. We are being taught by researchers who are leaders in their fields, and the School s inviting and friendly environment makes it easy to approach them. Allen Lin, from Boston, Massachusetts, is pursuing an MSc in Public Health, with a focus on health economics. Winning a full Marshall Scholarship allowed him to travel overseas to study at the School. 04 The American Friends Scholarship Fund

5 A Message from the President of the American Friends of the School T he School matters. It matters because it creates future leaders in public health. It matters because it helps individuals become professionals in their field. It matters because the School shapes how we live, play and work in our communities. I am an alumnus of the School. I am also a donor to the School. I know first-hand the value of an education from the School, what it has meant to me personally and how it has impacted me professionally. With the skills and knowledge I learned from the School I created a business that contributes to the Texas economy, provides expertise in public health and is on the cutting edge of addressing some of the key public health challenges in the United States. I ask that you support those who will go to the School and who will return to the US to address public health challenges in their communities, cities and states. I ask you to support the next American scholars who need our financial assistance. I ask for your support of the American Friends Scholarship Fund. It really does matter. John R Litaker, PhD (MSc Public Health, 97) President of the American Friends of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 05

6 Built By American Philanthropy. Sustained By American Philanthropy. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has had a special relationship with the United States, and American philanthropy, since its earliest beginnings. Its main campus was built by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1926, and its largest research funder today is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation also awarded the School the Gates Award for Global Health in 2009 (pictured below right). This was the first time the foundation awarded this prestigious prize outside the United States, and the first time it chose to honor an organization rather than an individual. About 10 per cent of the School s students come from the United States. After graduation, most of our American graduates return to the US, where they can be found today in senior positions in public health, including serving to protect the health of the American public at the US Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health; working as research scientists at major pharmaceutical and biotech companies; heading non-profit health and policy organizations; and teaching the next generation of public health leaders at universities in the US and around the world. 06 The American Friends Scholarship Fund

7 Marshall Scholars and the London School: A Special Case of The Special Relationship During my time at the School, I have met people from around the world, learned from experts in my field, and developed the vision that I will pursue after graduating: a world in which dignity overcomes vulnerability. The US Marshall Scholarship has enabled me to pursue this path, and it is my hope that many other American students will take advantage of this opportunity. Close partnerships like that between the US and the UK are critical to addressing global health issues. Marshall Scholar Jonathan J. Naber, from Waterloo, Illinois, is studying for the MSc in Public Health in Developing Countries. The UK Parliament founded the Marshall Scholarships in 1953 in honor of US Secretary of State George C Marshall to commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan and express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts for their help rebuilding Britain and Europe after World War II. Funded by the British government, Marshall Scholarships are open exclusively to American undergraduates wishing to study for a master s degree in the UK. It is one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the world. Competition is fierce: Fewer than 40 Marshall Scholars are selected each year from universities throughout the entire United States. Scholars must not only demonstrate distinction of intellect and character through outstanding academic and other achievement but also demonstrate the capacity to become future American leaders who will make a significant contribution to their own society. Marshall Scholars may apply to study at any university in the UK. Of the who are selected each year, between one and four choose to come to the London School. This is a remarkably high number for a small specialist institution. Between 2000 and 2013 alone, the School hosted 30 Marshall Scholars, who have graduated with master s degrees ranging from Public Health, Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases to Health Policy, Planning and Financing. In 2014 the School signed a new agreement with the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission to become a Marshall Partnership University. Only a select group of UK higher-education institutions are Marshall Partners, and it should mean that even more Marshall Scholars will be educated at the London School in years to come. While the general Marshall Scholarship program pays all of the winning scholars costs tuition fees, living expenses and travel the Marshall Partnership requires some matched funding from the partner institution. In the case of the School, this comes to approximately $30,000 a year. Gifts to the American Friends Scholarship Fund directly support this new partnership, and ensure that the School will be able to provide a world-class education in public health to even more of the best and brightest of America s future leaders. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 07

8 Why Your Gift Matters If they are to reach their full potential, America s future health leaders need a rigorous, world-class education and experience conducting cutting-edge research. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine offers both. In fact, it is internationally renowned for the quality of its research and teaching: A recent survey named it the world s leading research-focused graduate school, in any field.* American graduates of the School go on to shape health policy, find new ways to treat and prevent serious diseases, launch and evaluate health programs and work to make their communities healthy and safe. The School offers a very high return on investment compared to its peer institutions in the United States. Top US schools of public health charge upwards of $80,000 in tuition and other fees for a master s degree, not including room, board and living expenses. The School, on the other hand, offers a world-class education to international students at a much lower cost, with current tuition and fees of about $38,000 for a master s degree. Even still, many of our students need help to fund their studies. This includes American students, who paradoxically often have fewer options for government loans and private scholarships than those from lower-income countries. While full scholarships are welcome, even relatively modest amounts can make a huge difference to a student s finances. A gift of $100 buys textbooks for a course. A gift of $300 funds a short-term residency at a state-of-the-art infectious diseases research facility. A $1,000 gift allows a master s student to travel overseas, under the supervision of world-leading scientists, to complete a summer research project on a real-world public health problem. The School is committed to educating the brightest and most promising public-health students, regardless of their ability to pay. Your gift to the American Friends Scholarship Fund will ensure that students from the United States continue to be counted among them for years to come. 08 The American Friends Scholarship Fund *Times Higher Education World University Rankings/Thomson Reuters,

9 Thank you for supporting America s future health leaders Your details Title: First Name: Last Name: Address: City: State: Zip code: Phone Number: Your Gift I want to support the American Friends Scholarship Fund with a gift of: $25 $100 $800 $8000 Other * Please make the check payable to: American Friends of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine c/o Chapel & York Ltd 1000 N West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE Alternatively, you can make a gift by credit card through Search for American Friends of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is supported by the American Friends of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Inc, a 501(c)(3) charity (EIN ) in the United States of America. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. * The First 500. Donors who give US$800 ( 500) or more are recognized by membership in the First 500 annual giving circle. With permission, First 500 members are recognized in donor publications, and their names will be inscribed on a plaque at the School. Members are invited to an induction ceremony and reception in London hosted by the Director of the School. Other social and networking events are held throughout the year. The Director s Circle. This giving circle honors the School s most generous donors. Member benefits include an exclusive annual lunch or dinner in London. This is generally hosted by the School s patron, HRH Prince Philip, at Buckingham Palace. With permission, Director s Circle members are recognized in donor publications, and their names will be inscribed on a plaque at the School. The School s Director also invites members to special networking and social events throughout the year. Membership is currently open to donors who give US$8,000 ( 5,000) or more. The School s Data Protection Policy is available at:

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12 We d love to hear from you. If you want more information or would like to discuss other ways you can help students and the School, please contact Bill Friar, the School s Head of Development. His phone numbers are: +44 (0) (landline) +44 (0) (cell phone) His is: william.friar@lshtm.ac.uk