Wistar’s Dr. Amelia Escolano Named 2022 Pew Scholar

PHILADELPHIA — (JUNE 14, 2022) — The National Advisory Committee of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, has chosen Amelia Escolano, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in The Wistar Institute’s Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, to join their 2022 cohort of Scholars. The honor provides Escolano with a grant of $300,000 over four years, starting in August 2022. A signature piece of the award provides support for Escolano to attend the annual five-day meeting with fellow Scholars to bolster a collaborative research community over the duration of the award.

Escolano completed her education and scientific training across several countries – Spain, Finland, and the United States. Recruited to Wistar in 2021, she has since made great strides in her work on new vaccination approaches for highly mutating viruses like HIV-1. The Pew Scholar funding will support her project to develop innovative approaches to investigate the immune response to vaccination that will be the basis to eventually design universal vaccines against mutating viruses – a pressing global health challenge.

“I want to thank The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) for this tremendous honor and for their support of my research. I look forward to participating in the annual meeting and engaging with the incredible community of Scholars, current and past.” expresses Escolano.

Pew Scholars are chosen from a pool of highly talented, early career investigators nominated by leading scientific universities and institutions around the United States. Pew supports these Scholars with research funding as they tackle unanswered biomedical questions and improve scientific innovation. The award also opens the door to a collaborative network of scientists and mentorship from leading scientific minds from the program’s national advisory committee.

“We are extremely proud of Amelia and this outstanding recognition in one of the most prestigious and competitive venues ever—she is one of 22 Scholars across the nation selected for this prestigious award,” said Dario C. Altieri, M.D., Wistar president & CEO, director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, and the Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professor. “The combination of bold ideas, innovative science, and commitment to improve human health is at the core of both The Wistar Institute and the Pew Scholars program: Amelia is an exceptional candidate who embodies those values as she tackles some of the most impactful, transformative research questions in immunology and infectious diseases.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the United States, Wistar has held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. wistar.org.