Xavierites Kennedy Singleton and Joshua Lewis were awarded medallions upon completing the American Heart Association’s (AHA) HBCU Scholars program. The AHA selected Singleton and Lewis to participate in their 2021-2022 HBCU Scholars program, providing research experience and virtual leadership workshops. They attended the AHA’s International Scientific Sessions, the largest cardiovascular disease conference in the world, and the annual AHA HBCU Scholars Research Symposium. The scholars received stipends for their participation in the initiative and traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, for the program’s award ceremony.

Singleton is a third-year student in Xavier University of Louisiana’s College of Pharmacy. She is very passionate about improving health disparities that disproportionally affect Black and African American communities. Lewis, a junior at Xavier, is passionate about STEM and achieving his goal of becoming a biomedical engineer following his completion of Xavier’s dual-degree engineering program.

“The American Heart Association Scholars Program at HBCUs was started in 2015 as a result of the urgent need to increase the number of African American students majoring in the biomedical and health sciences,” said Charlene Walton, M.D., director of the AHA Scholars Program at HBCUs and Collegiate Diversity Partnerships. “Through strategic partnerships with HBCUs, AHA is committed to helping cultivate the next generation of African American healthcare providers, public health professionals, and researchers who will bring diverse perspectives, solutions, and medical treatment to their communities.”

Dr. Walton and the AHA HBCU Scholars program are supported by a host of individuals dedicated to improving diversity in biomedical and health science fields. Jeremy Beauchamp, Executive Vice President at the AHA and Stacy Ingram, a sponsor of the program, also attended the awards ceremony.

After completing the program, Singleton and Lewis have been working with a cardiovascular surgeon at Tulane University. Singleton shared her enjoyment of participating in the cohort and how it has benefitted her academic career.

“The program was a great learning experience. I had no research experience before starting the program but after completing it, I feel more confident in my ability to conduct research,” said Singleton. “I feel that I have left with skills that will help me with my future career.”

Singleton emphasizes Xavier has prepared her for success with the university’s emphasis on professionalism and working to help improve her analytical and public speaking skills, all of which were necessary to complete the program successfully. Lewis also highlights the program’s advantages and Xavier’s impact as he completed it.

“The program allowed me to engage in applied scientific research and further exercise my skill in scientific presentations. It’s also increased my level of confidence when it comes to scientific literature and presenting scientific information to different audiences,” shared Lewis. “Many of the skills foundational to success in this program were cultivated in both STEM and non-STEM coursework and experiments, which Xavier has prepared me for,” said Lewis.

“Scholars Joshua Lewis and Kennedy Singleton represented Xavier well in our AHA Scholars Program at HBCUs!” Dr. Walton proudly stated after the conclusion of the program.