The School of Molecular and Cellular Biology is pleased to announce that MCB senior Sameer Abbasi has been awarded a federal Boren Scholarship to study Swahili in Tanzania this summer.
Boren Awards are given to undergraduate and graduate students committed to long-term overseas study and to public service. Abbasi was one of two scholarship recipients from the University of Illinois this year.
“The Boren Award is a natural progression of my personal and professional goals in global health. It’ll equip me with the skills to communicate in my region of interest without a language barrier, which will allow for a better way to establish trust and understanding,” Abbasi said.
Between studying for his MCB courses at the Grainger Engineering Library and playing soccer at the turf fields, Abbasi developed an interest in global health aid by participating in the Global Leaders Program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The program focuses on global problem-solving, cross-cultural collaboration, and human-centered design. Abbasi traveled to Tigoni, Kenya, with the program as a first-year student to work with the community-based organization Friends of Creation.
He also conducted collaborative research on health systems in East Africa and South Asia for the Global Health Systems Empowerment Network. Additionally, while serving as membership director for the U. of I. chapter of Partners in Health Engage, he lobbied for foreign aid funding reform with congressional offices and founded an annual global health impact challenge for undergraduates.
Last summer he worked as a program director for a health education program funded by the U.S. Department of State, preparing Tanzanian students for roles as doctors, nurses and community health workers. He served on-site for three weeks, delivering instructional models on infectious disease, injury and mental health.
“When I’m working on projects relating to global health, learning about molecular biology gives you a deeper understanding of what is happening with the people you’re trying to be of service to,” Abbasi said.
The 2025 trip “opened my eyes to the relationship between the United States, Tanzania, and other countries in that region, especially in terms of global health aid. … After that, I wanted to do a summer program that’d enable me to get a better understanding of global health diplomacy.”
A condition of being a Boren award recipient is that awardees must secure national security employment in the federal government for at least one year. That requirement sealed the deal for Abbasi.
“That was a persuasive part of the program for me, because it allows me to be able to delve into the world of global health diplomacy on a professional level,” he said. “It also directly aligns with my interests in how language ties into national security as well as diplomacy and global health aid.”
Abbasi plans to attend medical school and pursue a career that incorporates his interests in international relations and global health.
David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are funded by the National Security Education Program, a federal initiative designed to increase U.S. expertise in languages and cultures in world regions critical to U.S. interests.