The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) recently awarded two NHF-Baxter Clinical Fellowships. This year’s award recipients are Courtney Lyle, MD, of the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center, and Ayesha Zia, MD, of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Sponsored by a generous grant from the Baxter Healthcare Corporation, the NHF-Baxter Clinical Fellowship Program helps to support the education and training of new physicians committed to providing quality comprehensive care for individuals with hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, and other bleeding and clotting disorders.
Dr. Lyle received a BA in chemistry and German language from the University of Rochester in 2001, and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University in 2005. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD) Health Sciences Center in 2008. She is currently a pediatric hematology/oncology fellow and completing a Master’s degree program in Clinical Science. Dr. Lyle has a committed interest in pursuing a clinical career in pediatric hemostasis and thrombosis patient care, and in developing her skills as a clinical researcher and investigator. The fellowship award will allow Dr. Lyle to continue her participation in a specialized training program in pediatric hemostasis, thrombosis and stroke at UCD under the mentorship of Dr. Marilyn Manco-Johnson. She has also been highly productive in conducting retrospective and prospective cohort studies and co-authored review articles with Dr. Neil Goldenberg at UCD.
Dr. Zia earned a MBBS degree from King Edward Medical College, Pakistan. Following an internship in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, she completed her second and third years of pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University in Detroit. Since becoming a hematology/oncology fellow in 2009, Dr. Zia presented at the American Society of Hematology and has had five abstracts accepted for presentation at other major hematology meetings. Dr. Zia will continue her specialized training in pediatric hematology under the mentorship of Dr. Jeanne Lusher. The fellowship award will foster Dr. Zia’s development as a clinical scientist, allowing her to study clinical research design, statistical analysis as well as pursue research concerning the thrombogenicity of hormonal supplementation in adolescent girls.
The NHF-Baxter Clinical Fellowship Program was conceived out of a need to attract and sustain future physician leaders to the field of bleeding and clotting disorders. The program has provided support to 21 physicians to date. Selections are made by an independent peer review panel and award recipients are able to receive up to $200,000 for a maximum period of two years. Baxter has continued to provide financial support for this program since its inception in 2003, enabling NHF to provide for two new clinical fellows each year for the next three years.
