Student Award Program

Two students look at a computer screen together

Overview

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation Student Award Program supports medical and doctoral students in Michigan who aim to improve health care within the state. Past successful programs have included applied research, pilot programs, demonstrations and evaluation projects.

The award offers up to $3,000 for research projects. If multiple students are working on the same project, they will divide the grant award amount equally.

Eligibility

We welcome applications from doctoral students in good academic standing who are either U.S. residents, Resident Aliens, or Holders of Student Visa enrolled at any of Michigan’s accredited universities.

Projects for Student Award grants are ineligible if:

  • The project already has results (e.g., completed dissertation, poster presentation(s), publication(s) distributing established results)
  • The student (grant applicant) has previously received this award
  • The student is a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee or an immediate family member of an employee. Students who are employees of any BCBSM affiliate or who are immediate family members also are ineligible
  • The proposed project is a drug trial
  • The proposed project takes place outside of Michigan
  • The proposed project includes any research involving non-human subjects

How to apply

We review potential projects for their ability to achieve real outcomes. Successful projects will show a direct impact on health and/or health care.

The application process is comprehensive, so it helps to understand what's involved at the outset of applying. Here is what you will be expected to deliver:

  • Completed application form
  • Project Proposal (1,000 to 3,000 words, double-spaced) outlining:
    • Background
    • Hypothesis(es)
    • Methods
    • Expected outcomes
    • How health equity and social determinants of health are addressed
    • How this work is valuable to the population, increases the quality of care, and improves access to healthcare
    • Conclusion
    • Note: citations are not included in the word limit (use any format, e.g., AMA, APA, MLA, etc.)
  • Letter of support from advisor
  • Detailed line-item budget and justification for each line item (not included in the word limit) 
    • Funds requested, anticipated or provided by other sources for the same or similar project must be described in detail on an attached sheet and referenced in a cover letter.
    • Budget for the Student Award Program can include hourly wage/stipend for the student, other research assistants, study participant compensation, software directly related to the project, and other costs directly related to accomplishing the submitted research project.
    •  The Foundation doesn't pay for indirect costs except for limited fringe benefits, including health, personal and/or medical benefits. The allowable fringe benefit expense may not exceed the lesser of 25 percent of the salary subtotal figure or the actual cost of the fringe benefits.
    • The Foundation doesn't pay for tuition expenses or continuing education units for the student or other staff.
    • This funding program doesn't support the following: computer hardware; one-time use consumables, such as medical (e.g., medications, bandages), and office supplies (e.g., printing paper, writing instruments); furnishings and capital expenses, such as phone, rent and building insurance.
    • Conference travel is limited to $1,000.
  • If your application is awarded and you are using human subjects or otherwise protected data, a copy of Human Subjects Review Committee approval is needed before we start your award
  • Applicant's CV

Deadlines

The application period opens on September 15 and closes on November 30 of each year.

Past grant recipients

Central Michigan University
Isabella County; Mid-Michigan

College of Medicine
Erin Mattson, Karen Nguyen, Megan O’Mara, Elsa Varughese
$3,000
Improving health care in Native American communities by conducting a health needs assessment for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe

 

Eastern Michigan University 
Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan  

Department of Psychology
Maitri Jain
$3,000
Research the association of parent-child behavioral and physiological synchrony with children’s emotion regulation, especially in families with high-level family-related risk factors

Department of Psychology
Miranda Schaffer
$3,000
Investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a new treatment for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES)

Michigan State University
Ingham County; Mid-Michigan
Kent County; West Michigan

College of Human Medicine
Allison Cropsey, Teya Marben
$3,000
Gain insight into the factors that contribute to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in pregnant people with Infectious Endocarditis and opioid use disorder

Department of Psychology
Emma Crumby
$2,975
Explore perceptions of how gender minority stressors contribute to eating pathology among transgender and nonbinary people

Department of Psychology
Elizabeth Eberlin
$3,000
Evaluate mechanisms that drive the heterogenous cognitive decline seen in perimenopausal individuals

Department of Psychology
Joohee Lee
$3,000
Explore how intimate partner violence contributes to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in youth and how positive parenting may buffer these effects

Michigan Tech University
Houghton County; Upper Peninsula

College of Engineering
Ahmad Bshennaty
$3,000
Explore the concept of digital twins for a more accurate estimation of the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients

College of Engineering
Waruni Mampage
$3,000
Exploring the influence of Micro(nano)plastics on host-microbiome physiology in the human digestive system 

University of Michigan
Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan

Department of Clinical Pharmacy
Mohamad Ismail
$3,000
Identify and quantify the barriers and facilitators affecting oral anti-cancer agent self-management among Arab American individuals with cancer

Department of Psychology
Jacqueline Katz
$3,000  
Explore how patterns in reward-driven eating behaviors and their interaction with sociodemographic and diagnostic factors predict the effectiveness of anti-obesity medications

School of Medicine
Elliott Brannon
$2,900
Develop a Chat-GPT assisted chatbot to enhance clinicians' knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing obesity through low carbohydrate diets

School of Medicine
Maximilian Wagner 
$1,500
Evaluate the implementation of the Abdominal Hernia Care Pathway (AHCP)

School of Nursing
Farida Bibi Mughal
$3,000
Investigate internal facilitators for healing among South Asian Immigrant women who are gender-based violence survivors

School of Public Health
Morgan Perry
$3,000
Research focuses the effectiveness on dual eligible special needs Medicare Advantage plans

Wayne State University
Wayne County; Southeast Michigan

School of Medicine
Abbie Bauer
$3,000
Provide validity to the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA), a critical framework for understanding the neurobiology of substance use

Department of Psychology
Emily Flores
$3,000
Develop and validate a Spanish-language assessment tool to identify cognitive and psychological predictors of vulnerability to financial exploitation among Spanish-speaking older adults

Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo County; Western Michigan

Department of Psychology
Sarah Dacey
$3,000
By integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with social support, this study aims to provide a comprehensive intervention that reduces parental distress and improves overall quality of life

School of Medicine
Sheridan Bernard
$3,000
Identify themes in how patients with Opioid Use Disorder in the emergency department perceive Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

Student Award Grants

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Isabella County; Mid-Michigan

College of Medicine

Yashi Ballal
$2,500
Research that examines the Impact of Brief Self-Compassion Training on Stress, Empathy and Emotional Intelligence of First Year Medical Students

Christa Deban
$3,000
Research that examines the prevalence of mental health disorders and their effects on pregnant patients with intellectual disabilities

EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan

College of Arts and Sciences

Kellsey Launius
$3,000
Research that examines barriers and facilitators to family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa

Julie Wojtaszek
$3,000
Research that examines barriers to seeking and completing social anxiety disorder treatment

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Kent County; West Michigan

College of Human Medicine
Pavitra Attanayake
$3,000
Research to examine polypharmacy management, medication adherence, and patient education through the development of an AI-assisted smartphone application

College of Human Medicine
Keerat Bains
$3,000
Research to examine lived experiences of birth doulas of color

College of Nursing
Arienne Patano
$3,000
Research to examine the impact of social determinants of health on mental health outcomes among family caregivers in rural areas

MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Houghton; Upper Peninsula Michigan

College of Computing
Abel Reyes‐Angulo
$3,000
This research will examine AI-based tools to mitigate the disparities in access to healthcare resources in rural areas

College of Sciences and Arts
Meiling Zhou
$3,000
This research will examine integrating continuous and ordinal phenotypes with genotypic information

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
Oakland County; Southeast Michigan

School of Nursing
Dali Majeed
$2,923.40
Research that examines factors influencing Chaldean adults’ intention to seek mental health services

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Washtenaw; Southeast Michigan

School of Public Health

Laura Brotzman
$3,000
Research that examines perspectives on life expectancy in cancer screening decisions

Koya Ferrell
$3,000
Research that examines training methods for Family Medicine physicians during Graduate Medical Education

Sundas Saboor
$3,000
Research that examines sexual and reproductive health chatbot interest among Arab American Muslim Women in Dearborn, Michigan

School of Social Work
Olivia Chang
$3,000
Research that examines physical and psychological well-being among youth in child welfare settings

Medical School
Linda Ma
$3,000
Research that examines healthcare accessibility for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing

College of Pharmacy
Amna Rizvi‐Toner
$3,000
Research that examines symptom management use of unplanned health care services in patients taking oral anticancer agents

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
Wayne County; Southeast Michigan

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Owen Fleming
$3,000
Research that examines the impact of parental divorce on the use of preventive care in childhood

Marjorie Heule
$3,000
Research that examines brain-based education and stress reduction psychotherapeutic intervention

College of Nursing

Krista Wonderly
$3,000
Research that examines black family surrogates use in the intensive care unit

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Kalamazoo County; West Michigan

College of Education and Human Development
Winifred Wilson
$3,000
Addressing Health Disparities by Examining Black Adolescent’s Biopsychosocial Reactions to Racial Trauma

Central Michigan University
Isabella County; Mid-Michigan

College of Medicine
Paige Benard
$1,500
Identify the challenges pregnant people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face in obtaining health care

College of Medicine
Nicolas Sirhan
$1,500
Identify the challenges pregnant people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face in obtaining health care

Eastern Michigan University
Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan

College of Arts and Sciences
Sarah Freeman
$3,000
Evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of a revised perinatal Dialectical Behavioral Group Therapy
Curriculum

College of Arts and Sciences
Michelle Lobermeier
$3,000
Explores neuroimaging while resting as a neural (brain) correlate of executive functioning development

Michigan School of Psychology
Oakland County; Southeast Michigan

Breanna Thornton
 $2,368
Investigate how a woman’s spirituality, religious practice, and psychological coping contribute to post-pregnancy quality of life and psychological adjustment

Michigan State University
Ingham County; Mid-Michigan

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Basma Klump
$3,000
Develop an evidence-based approach to incorporate opioid, vaping, and marijuana misuse topics in high school

College of Nursing
Teresa Ng
$3,000
Understanding the relationships between family resilience, adolescents’ intrapersonal resilience, and adolescents’ experiencing suicidal ideations

College of Social Science
Hannah Tokish
$3,000
Improve autism intervention services for underserved families by understanding the factors influencing active parent engagement in intervention sessions

College of Human Medicine
Orezime Uyeh
$3,000
Assess African American mental health literacy to decrease mental health disorder stigma and enhance help-seeking efficacy

Michigan Technological University
Houghton; Upper Peninsula Michigan

College of Engineering
Seyedehfatemeh Razaviamri
$3,000
Design self-activating antimicrobial hemostatic nanoparticles to satisfy all the criteria for an effective hemostatic material

College of Engineering
Seyedmostafa Rezaeitaleshmahalleh
$3,000
Develop a machine learning tool to investigate how the intraluminal thrombus structure may correlate to abdominal aortic aneurysm growth

University of Michigan
Washtenaw; Southeast Michigan

Medical School
Courtney Burns
$3,000
Investigate the under-diagnosis of heart failure in females with cardiovascular disease

Medical School
Zoey Chopra
$3,000
Aid health systems redesign care practices to overcome biased heuristics and produce equitable outcomes

Medical School
Sophia Gutterman
$3,000
Identify critical themes that leverage support from family and friends during patients’ consideration of bariatric surgery

Medical School
Alesha Kotian
$2,800
Determine cesarean delivery's maternal/infant benefit for birthing persons with these hypertensive disorders

Wayne State University
Wayne County; Southeast Michigan

School of Social Work
Jennifer Clift
$3,000
Promote the well-being of urban Black and African American emerging adults

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Christina Dandar
$3,000
Investigate the relationship between hypoxic-ischemic risk and motor functioning

School of Social Work
Laura Sutherland
$3,000
Understand how art activities can assuage the biomedicalization of dementia

Central Michigan University
Isabella County; Mid-Michigan

College of Medicine
Lexie Alexander
$3,000
Explore the effectiveness of group prenatal care compared to individual prenatal care in improving maternal and infant outcomes among pregnant women with opioid use disorder in rural communities.

College of Medicine
Maya Takagi
$3,000
Examine COVID-19 virus, vaccine knowledge and perceptions, and the effectiveness of educational COVID-19 and vaccine interventions among Native Americans.

College of Medicine
Jad Zreik
$3,000
Explore the perceptions of primary care physicians toward deprescribing among the elderly.

Eastern Michigan University
Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan

College of Arts and Sciences
Kristin Aho
$3,000
Understand how the family impacts the development of executive functions.

College of Arts and Sciences
Kelsey Hill
$3,000
Improving asthma self-management through intervention at an outpatient community mental health clinic.

Michigan School of Psychology
Oakland County; Southeast Michigan

Kaitlin Tuinstra
$3,000
Explore how family functioning affects medication adherence among pediatric cancer patients.

Michigan State University
Ingham County; Mid-Michigan

College of Education
Aaron Zynda
$3,000
Test the effectiveness of sensorimotor skills and deficits assessments after a sport-related concussion among high school and collegiate athletes.

College of Human Medicine
Gabrielle Costello
$3,000
Determine socio-economic barriers and ability to adhere to follow-up care among patients in rural emergency rooms in Huron County.

College of Social Science
Jenna Beffel
$3,000
Examine how to support typically developing siblings’ ability and willingness to provide their sibling with autism spectrum disorder the care necessary to improve the family’s well-being.

College of Social Science
Katlyn Hettinger
$3,000
Determine if high-deductible health insurance plans cause a year-end increase in non-urgent healthcare consumption and its effects on quality of care and health outcomes.

Michigan Technological University
Houghton; Upper Peninsula Michigan

College of Engineering
Alireza Asadbeygi
$3,000
Examine the left atrium hemodynamics in patients with atrial fibrillation pre-ablation intervention and after ablation treatment.

College of Engineering
Brennan Vogl
$3,000
Develop predictive models of local hemodynamics in coronary artery disease using machine learning algorithms to create 3D reconstructed models of CT-scan images that can be evaluated more efficiently than currently available methods.

University of Michigan
Washtenaw; Southeast Michigan

School of Social Work
Nina Jackson Levin
$3,000
Understand the sexual and reproductive health services for sexual and gender minority adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors.

Wayne State University
Wayne County; Southeast Michigan

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Kylie Kadey
$3,000
Test a cost-effective, non-invasive method for detecting Alzheimer's disease.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jessica Katschke
$3,000
Explore whether response time and accuracy differ between young and older adults with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease across framing types and underlying association types.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liza Hinchey
$3,000
Examine whether people exposed to subjectively traumatic events exhibit low cortisol reactivity to stress.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Gavin Sanders
$3,000
Investigate memory for emotional expressions after traumatic brain injury through the evaluation of assessments for recognition and memory for facial displays of emotion.

Eastern Michigan University
Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan

Psychology
Leah LaLonde
$3,000
Evaluate psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression screening in adolescents.

Michigan School of Psychology
Oakland County; Southeast Michigan

Clinical Psychology
Jared Boot
$3,000
Create and test cultural competency training specific to the transgender population for mental health care to increase clinician knowledge and awareness.

Michigan State University
Ingham County; Mid-Michigan

Emergency Medicine
Sara Urquhart
$3,000
Study ultrasound-guided thoracentesis in the emergency department and related outcomes related to patient satisfaction, length of stay, and procedure-related complications.

Michigan Technological University
Houghton; Upper Peninsula Michigan

Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Isaac Wedig
$3,000
Enhance the health and COVID-19 resilience of older adults in the Upper Peninsula with physical activity.

University of Michigan
Washtenaw; Southeast Michigan

Health Behavior & Health Education
Molly Green
$3,000
Explore the roles of ethnic identity in the relationship between discrimination and mental health outcomes for Arab Americans in Dearborn

Health Behavior & Health Education
Monika Doshi
$3,000
Examine perceptions of and experiences with mental health care among undocumented Latinx communities.

Internal Medicine
Gabriella VanAken
$3,000
Assess COVID-19 vaccination policies for populations experiencing homelessness.

Internal Medicine
Gavisha Waidyaratne
$3,000
Understand the impacts of COVID-19 and social distancing on low-income communities in Michigan.

Wayne State University
Wayne County; Southeast Michigan

College of Nursing
Cinzia Caparso
$3,000
Develop holistic, culturally sensitive family interventions to assist with the impending death of a core family member, specifically focusing on African Americans with advanced cancer.

Psychology
Jolin Yamin
$3,000
Enhance provider skills in trauma-informed counseling and therapy.

Psychology
Qin Yin
$3,000
Investigate memory mapping after epilepsy surgery for patients with intracranial EEG analysis.

Psychology
You Jin Jung
$3,000
Examine the feasibility of a blood test to detect cognitive changes at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

School of Social Work
Michael Broman
$3,000
Explore the experiences of undergraduate college students in recovery from substance use disorder.

Questions?

Please check the FAQs in our help section. If you don't see what you're looking for, email us at foundation@bcbsm.com and a member of our team will respond.

Mailing Address
BCBSM Foundation | Mail Code X101 | 600 E. Lafayette Blvd. | Detroit, MI | 48226-2998