Scholarship program for people living with severe and persistent mental illness celebrates 15 year track record of success
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) today announced that applications for the 2013-2014 school year are now available for the 15th annual Lilly Reintegration Scholarship. The program provides funding for tuition, books and lab fees to people living with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and related schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, so they may pursue and achieve their educational and vocational goals. Information is available at www.reintegration.com.
"Since its inception in 1997, the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship has helped hundreds of students to pursue educational opportunities, leading to meaningful jobs and achievement of important life goals," said Bart Peterson, senior vice president, corporate affairs and communications, Lilly. "Despite living with the challenges associated with severe mental illness, these dedicated students are an inspiration. Lilly is proud to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the program as part of our continuing commitment to the neuroscience community."
An independent judging panel comprised of psychiatric care professionals review applications annually and select scholarship winners. Lilly Reintegration Scholarship recipients have studied at Harvard, Yale and MIT, as well as hundreds of state and private universities, community colleges and trade schools. Recent areas of study include engineering, law, psychiatry, culinary arts, graphic design, social work, physics, education and computer sciences.
"Fifteen years ago, the prospects for higher education and a career for a person battling mental illness were small, as were opportunities to earn an academic scholarship," said Ralph Aquila, M.D., executive director of the Center for Reintegration and chairman of the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship judging panel. "However, data collected from this program over the years show that we have helped many people achieve their goals. On average, our Lilly Reintegration scholars have a 71 percent graduation rate, whereas the nation's average for an incoming freshman class is 55.5 percent.[1]
About the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship
The goal of the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship is to help people with schizophrenia, related schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, or bipolar disorder acquire the educational and vocational skills necessary to reintegrate into society, secure jobs and to improve their lives. Through the scholarship program, Eli Lilly and Company furthers its ongoing commitment to providing tools that enhance the reintegration continuum, allowing people to move their lives forward and achieve their individual potential.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.
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[1] According to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems: http://www.higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/?year=2009&level=nation&mode=graph&state=0&submeasure=27
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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company