Dr. Calabro Receives NIH Pediatric Loan Repayment Program Award

Kait Calabro

Congratulations to Dr. Kaitlyn Calabro for her receipt of the competitive NIH Pediatric Loan Repayment Program award! Kait’s award will relieve the stress of paying back student loans while she conducts her postdoctoral studies to develop a gene therapy for MYO7A- associated Usher syndrome (USH1B). The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The Pediatric LRP program specifically is for investigators conducting research directly related to diseases, disorders, and other conditions in children. The escalating costs of advanced education and training in medicine and clinical specialties are forcing some scientists to abandon their research careers for higher-paying private industry or private practice careers. The LRPs counteract that financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. Since tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs will be made by investigators starting in their research careers today, the LRPs represent an important investment by NIH in the future of health discovery and the wellbeing of the Nation. Congratulations Kait!!