January 28, 2016

Blake M. Hauser, a fourth-year student in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been named a recipient of the Churchill Scholarship. The research-focused award provides funding to American students for a year of master’s study in science, mathematics and engineering at Churchill College, based at the University of Cambridge in England.

Blake Hauser

Blake Hauser

The Scholarship was set up at the request of Sir Winston Churchill in order to fulfill his vision of scientific exchange between the United States and the United Kingdom, with the goal of advancing technology and security on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hauser, who plans to graduate from Carolina this May with a double major in environmental health sciences from the Gillings School and in biology from the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as a minor in chemistry, was one of only 15 selected for the prestigious award.

Being named a Churchill Scholar requires not only outstanding academic achievement but also proven talent in research, extensive laboratory experience and personal activities outside of academic pursuits.

“It’s always my hope that our students will take full advantage of their time at Carolina, and Blake has truly excelled at every opportunity both in and out of the classroom,” said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “Her Churchill Scholarship is a reflection of her hard work and commitment to academic achievement and civic leadership. We congratulate her on this exceptional honor.”

Hauser, 21, is the daughter of Michael David Hauser and Elizabeth Hungarland Hauser, and is from Marietta, Georgia. She is a Morehead-Cain Scholar, a Phi Beta Kappa member and an Honors Carolina student, currently working on her second senior honors thesis. She was awarded highest honors for her first senior honors thesis in August 2015.

Hauser serves as executive director of Carolina’s Eve Carson Scholarship and is a student member of the Faculty Advisory Board for the UNC Office of Undergraduate Research. She also is the president of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, where she uses her leadership platform to raise awareness for issues like sexual assault on campus and to raise money for literacy programs and breast cancer research.

Her interest in the study of infectious disease can be traced back to a summer in Malawi, where she worked on a systematic review of the impact of HIV counseling and testing on uninfected HIV individuals. Hauser returned the next summer to pursue research on the continuum of care associated with maternal initiation of antiretroviral therapy after testing positive during antenatal care. Her research already has earned her co-author credits on four published and forthcoming articles. She also is co-teaching a C-START course on “The Re-emergence of Infectious Diseases: From Cholera, to Ebola, and Beyond” at Carolina this semester.

Hauser aspires to be a physician-scientist and plans to pursue a Master of Philosophy degree in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation.

“Blake is an ideal Churchill Scholar,” said Mary Floyd-Wilson, director of Carolina’s Office of Distinguished Scholarships. “She excels as a researcher, a public servant and a leader. But more than that, Blake infuses her scholarship and service with warmth and honor. I have no doubt that her work will improve international health care and advance the fight against infectious disease.”


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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu

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