Tropical Medicine MS student Chelsea Nicholas was selected as a recipient of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Minority Trainee Development Scholarship at the ATS International Conference in Washington, DC held on May 20-24, 2023. Chelsea’s research on the impact of COVID-19 among underserved communities in Hawaii is mentored by Assistant Professor Gehan Devendra, JABSOM Dept. of Medicine, and Associate Professor Angela Sy, JABSOM Dept. of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology. Her thesis research title is “COVID-19 related hospitalizations and mortality among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders in Hawaii.”

Chelsea summarized her impressions of the conference, saying “the conference provided a remarkable platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration with experts in the field. The opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals and gain insights from their experiences has been immensely valuable. I was also humbled and deeply grateful to receive the ATS Underrepresented Trainee Development award during the conference. It was a testament to hard work as well as the support and guidance I have received from my mentors and colleagues. Additionally, I presented my research with positive feedback and had engaging discussions with other presenters. This experience expanded my knowledge and reinforced my passion for health disparities research.”

Chelsea’s travel to the ATS conference also was supported by the Tropical Medicine Achievement Award.