• Online and mobile voting is open to the public now through September 27 to help determine this year's two Thriving Students
• 40 students living with cystic fibrosis (CF) received $3,000 scholarships earlier this year based on their academic excellence, creativity, and community involvement
• Two deserving students will be awarded scholarships totaling $25,000 each

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie today announced the start of its two-week public voting period for the 2023 Thriving Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships. Following this voting period, scholarships totaling $25,000 each will be awarded to two commendable students living with cystic fibrosis (CF), an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.

From today through September 27 at 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time, the public is encouraged to visit the official AbbVie CF Scholarship website (www.AbbVieCFScholarship.com) to learn more about this year's top students and cast their votes to help select the 2023 Thriving Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarship recipients. Votes can be cast online or via text message by texting the student's personalized ID code to "58185" during the two-week public voting period. 

"Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be where I am today as far as my education," said Madison B., 2022 AbbVie Thriving Undergraduate Student. "The AbbVie CF Scholarship is an affirmation of all that I have accomplished despite my CF."

Over the summer, AbbVie selected 40 undergraduate and graduate students living with CF as recipients of a $3,000 scholarship for use during the 2023-2024 academic year. The award was based on their academic excellence, creativity, and community involvement/extracurricular activities. These students now have the chance to earn the title of "2023 Thriving Undergraduate or Graduate Student," along with an additional $22,000 in scholarship funding toward their higher education. The two winners will be determined by the number of valid votes cast by the public and the cumulative points awarded to each student by the AbbVie judging panel who evaluated the student essays and creative presentations.

"For over 30 years, the AbbVie CF Scholarship program has honored thousands of students living with CF by showcasing their accomplishments, creativity and financially supporting their pursuits of higher education," said John Duffey, vice president, U.S. Specialty, AbbVie. "This year we continue to be inspired by these hardworking and passionate students and hope the public participates in voting for and celebrating them."

AbbVie will announce the 2023 Thriving Undergraduate and Graduate Students in early November. 

About Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas and other organs of those living with this condition.¹ In patients with CF, a thick, sticky mucus is produced in certain organs throughout the body, most commonly the lungs and digestive system. The mucus build-up in the lungs can cause difficulty breathing and may lead to life-threatening lung infections. In the pancreas, the thick mucus may prevent the release of digestive enzymes and proper food digestion, potentially leading to malabsorption and malnutrition.

About the AbbVie CF Scholarship

The AbbVie CF Scholarship was established over 30 years ago in recognition of the financial burdens many families touched by CF face and to acknowledge the achievements of students with CF. Since its inception, the scholarship program has awarded over $3.9 million in scholarships to over 1,000 students. The AbbVie CF Scholarship is part of AbbVie's ongoing commitment to the CF community, which is comprised of close to 40,000 people in the United States. Today, more than half of the CF population are age 18 years or older.¹

It is not necessary for scholarship applicants to have taken, currently take, or intend to take in the future, any medicine or product marketed by AbbVie, and this is not a consideration in the selection criteria. More information about the AbbVie CF Scholarship criteria and application can be found at www.AbbVieCFScholarship.com.

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

References:

1. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. About Cystic Fibrosis. https://www.cff.org/intro-cf/about-cystic-fibrosis. Accessed August 2023.