AT&T Gives $10,000 to UT Health Northeast

TYLER — Aiming to boost interest in medical and scientific careers, AT&T has donated $10,000 to UT Health Northeast to support 10 biomedical science internships for high school and college students. This gives them the opportunity to learn about advanced lab procedures such as gene cloning and DNA analysis. The students will work on biomedical research projects alongside experienced scientists whose research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and organizations such as the American Heart Association, the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute, and the American Lung Association.

“AT&T recognizes that the educational opportunities offered by UT Health Northeast contribute to the well-being of the entire region,” said Candice Gast, AT&T’s director of external affairs for Northeast Texas. “Because our services depend on technology, much of which is used in healthcare communication and medical imaging, we are glad to partner with UT Health Northeast to provide high school and college students access to hands-on training in biomedical research. It’s good for Tyler, for UT Health, and for AT&T,” she added.

The internship program plans to start this year with five students, said Dr. Steven Idell, MD, Ph.D, vice president for research at UT Health Northeast. The internships are for high school students 16 years or older and college students considering careers in biomedical science and medicine.

Shown in the picture are (left to right) Candice Gast, AT&T’s director of external affairs for Northeast Texas; Steven Idell, MD, Ph.D, vice president for research, UT Health; Andrey Komissarov, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry, UT Health; and Galina Florova, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry, UT Health.