FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Angelina Wang
(212) 328-3767
December 6, 2023
NBDF Announces 2023 Kevin Child Scholarship Winner
NEW YORK - The National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) is pleased to announce that Hunter Montgomery of Cottonwood Heights, Utah was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Kevin Child Scholarship (KCS). Hunter, who has severe hemophilia A, is currently a third-year medical student at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. He plans to become a clinician-scientist working to improve the lives of his patients.
The KCS is awarded annually to a student with hemophilia A or B who is either a high school senior or someone enrolled in a vocational-technical school, college or university, or pursuing a post-secondary education.
This scholarship is named in tribute to Kevin Child, who died of AIDS in 1989, shortly before his graduation from Bucknell University. In honor of Kevin’s legacy, the Child family established this program in the hope of offering some assistance to other students with hemophilia who are pursuing their own education. Since then, over 30 students have received the KCS award.
The Child family, which selected Hunter as this year’s KCS award recipient from among 32 other promising candidates, greatly admired his pursuit of a medical degree. They felt that he was striving to achieve his own goals in a similar way to how Kevin had always sought to achieve his goals.
“Excellent medical care (at the HTC) changed my life and inspired me to pursue medicine as a profession," Hunter shared in a personal statement. "My experience with hemophilia, work as a medical assistant, medical school education, and research work all have inspired, informed, and prepared me for my career as a physician in unique and important ways.”
Hunter has already published three research papers in public health, pediatric pulmonology, and hematology. He recently received an award in recognition of his research on lung damage and oxidative stress in premature infants from the American Physiological Society. He has a certificate in phlebotomy, is fluent in Spanish, and volunteers regularly at a free, student-run community clinic.
Hunter has contributed to his local community by previously serving as a hemophilia camp counselor and using his musical talents to raise funds for other families with bleeding disorders in need. His additional interests are in sports such as swimming, hiking, and skiing, and reading murder mysteries and fantasy novels.
Please consider honoring Kevin Child's memory through the impact of other young people with hemophilia by donating to the KCS fund.
In late winter, HANDI's online list of scholarships for 2024 will be updated to include current information on post-secondary educational scholarships available to students living with inheritable blood and bleeding disorders and their family members. Make sure to subscribe to receive updates from NBDF.
Inquiries about the Kevin Child Scholarship may be directed to handi@hemophilia.org.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL BLEEDING DISORDERS FOUNDATION
For 75 years, the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (formerly the National Hemophilia Foundation) has been dedicated to finding cures for inheritable blood and bleeding disorders and to addressing and preventing the complications of these disorders through research, education, and advocacy enabling people and families to thrive. Learn more at hemophilia.org.
