An endowment fund has been established by the family of Max D. Cooper, M.D. to recognize his extraordinary accomplishments as professor of medicine, pediatrics, microbiology, and pathology and as Director of the Division of Developmental and Clinical Immunology at UAB. During his tenure here, Dr. Cooper became UAB's—and Alabama's—first Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. He was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in 1989, making him the first scientist in Alabama to receive this honor. The family has selected a travel award to recognize Max D. Cooper's lifelong love for journey and adventure. The lives of Dr. Cooper and his family have been tremendously enriched by his travels throughout the United States and the world in the pursuit of academic training and discovery.

2021 Recipient

Past Recipients

2019 - Sushma Boppana
2018 - Rachel Jimenez
2017 - Danielle Chisolm
2016 - Carson Moseley
2015 - Preeyam Patel

Max D. Cooper Endowed Immunology Travel Award Details

Interest income from this endowment will be used to support travel awards for UAB graduate students and medical students to attend meetings, workshops, and advanced courses offered by scientific societies and other organizations focused on the field of immunology. One grant will be awarded annually to help defray the cost of attending these events. 

Eligibility

All UAB medical or graduate students with academic pursuit in the field of immunology.

Application Procedure

The application deadline is September 1 each year. The application must be filled out online and submitted along with the application packet consisting of: the completed application form, curriculum vitae, recommendation/approval memo from your mentor, a meeting abstract or a brief justification for attending the meeting/course (if attending a course, please submit a description of the course, the URL for the course website and indicate how attending will benefit your research). The application packet must be submitted as a single PDF.

Award Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by a committee of faculty members with interest and expertise in immunology. Awards will be based on the student's research accomplishments or potential for research. Preference will be given to students with oral or poster presentations at meetings. Award recipients will be announced within four weeks of the deadline date. Individuals awarded a Cooper travel scholarship will not be eligible to apply for the Cooper awards in subsequent years, but students who were not funded in prior years may reapply during the next award cycle.