3rd Annual Young Investigator Draft at Lincoln Financial Field

Rob Long

Help support rare disease research Uplifting Athletes, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that inspires the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport, announced plans for the third annual Young Investigator Draft, presented by CSL Behring, taking place on Saturday, March 7, at Lincoln Financial Field.
The football theme of the Young Investigator Draft is inspired by the NFL Draft. Instead of drafting emerging young football talent, this draft turns the spotlight on the next generation of promising young medical researchers who are “drafted” and awarded research grants by Uplifting Athletes to help them pursue new treatments and potential cures for many of the world’s rarest diseases.
“The Young Investigator Draft serves as a powerful celebration of research within the field of rare diseases, providing a platform to distribute research funding to up-and-coming young researchers and honoring our ‘Rare Disease Champion Team’ “, said Rob Long, executive director of Uplifting Athletes. “We’re proud to have already awarded $180,000 in grants over the past two years alone and look forward to continued success. With every new year, we discover brilliant young researchers who help us learn more about these underserved diseases.”
“CSL Behring is proud to continue sponsoring this innovative program that supports emerging science and rare disease research,” added Kevin Kovaleski, vice president, Global Commercial Development, Transplant, CSL Behring. “The Young Investigator Draft reinforces our promise to patients by empowering researchers to focus on the rare disease community.”
One in 10 Americans are affected by rare diseases. That’s a higher percentage than cancer and AIDS combined. There is very little support for rare disease research, especially compared to funding for more common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Uplifting Athletes’ emphasis for the 2020 Young Investigator Draft is on building greater audience participation for the draft event as well as inviting more medical research-related corporate sponsorship and involvement in the event.
Visit the Young Investigator Draft Facebook event page at bit.ly/2020YID to participate in the draft.