Biochemistry Doctoral Student Receives P.E.O. Scholarship for Women

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 26, 2017) — Katy Brewer, a doctoral student in the University of Kentucky Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, was chosen as one of 100 doctoral students in the United States and Canada to receive a $15,000 Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She was sponsored by Chapter C of Lexington, Kentucky.

Brewer was a National Merit Finalist and a Patterson Scholarship recipient and graduated summa cum laude from UK in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She is now pursuing a doctorate in Matthew Gentry's lab at UK. Her research is focused on defining patient-specific mechanisms in Lafora disease, a fatal form of childhood epilepsy. She is also working with Valerion Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company that specializes in orphan diseases, to use enzyme therapy for the treatment of Lafora disease.

The P.E.O. Scholar Awards (PSA) were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. Scholar Awards recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.