Alumnus Urvish Jain won the coveted Kanders Churchill Scholarship

Urvish Jain was among this year's winners of the Kanders Churchill Scholarship, known as one of the most prestigious awards in STEM and science policy.

A recent graduate of Pitt's Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences with an honors distinction from the David C. Frederick Honors College (FHC), Jain will use the award to continue studying health care delivery as well as health economics and policy at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He plans to study the National Health Service (NHS), England's publicly funded health care system, one of four in the U.K.

"My goals to achieve are to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and successes that the NHS is having and what policy and economic implementations they would need to strengthen their system," said Jain (A&S '24). "I am also excited to get to learn from the extremely brilliant group of scientists and engineers that the Churchill Scholars represent."

Created in 2018 to address gaps in science and science policy, the coveted scholarship is awarded to just two U.S. students per year based on research and academic potential. Unlike the Churchill Scholarship, which can be used for several different scientific disciplines at Cambridge, the Kanders Churchill Scholarship focuses specifically on studying science policy.

"The Kanders Churchill is one of the most selective and competitive awards available for undergraduates," said Frederick Honors College Dean Nicola Foote. "Urvish's selection identifies him as one of the emerging leaders in science policy. I am so thrilled to see his work supported in this way and can't wait to see what comes next for him."

Jain attributes his win to mentorship from fellow alum Joseph Kannarkat (A&S '18). Kannarkat, who was also a Frederick Honors College student, was the first-ever Kanders Churchill scholarship winner in 2018.

Jain also credits National Fellowships Advisor Peter Levins for assisting him with the application process. All Pitt students and alumni have access to the Frederick Honors College's Office of National Scholarships and Post-Graduation Success for essay review, advice and interview preparation. Learn more about how the office can help you.

Photography courtesy of Urvish Jain