The Uplifting Athletes Young Investigator Draft presented by CSL Behring is returning for a fourth year in 2021 and grant nominations are now open for rare disease researchers.
Each year the event takes on the style of the NFL draft to honor up-and-coming researchers focused on rare diseases. More than $120,000 in research funding was awarded at the 2020 draft in March.
New for 2021, Uplifting Athletes is launching its Underrepresented Researchers in Medicine Initiative. As part of an effort to improve in diversity, equity and inclusion in medicine, the initiative requires at least one grant recipient from an underrepresented population.
Uplifting Athletes is a nonprofit group comprised of college football players at colleges and universities in local chapters across the United States. The organization seeks to apply the passion of sport to raising awareness and funding for rare disease research. CSL Behring has partnered with Uplifting Athletes to present the Young Investigator Draft every year since its inception in 2018.
Patient advocacy organizations are encouraged to visit UpliftingAthletes.org to nominate a researcher for this year’s draft. Nominations will be accepted until January 11.
