Dr. John F. Sheehan Scholarship

Dr. John F. Sheehan, a distinguished member of the Creighton Faculty from 1930 to 1989, served as Chairman of the Department of Biology from the early 1940’s through the early 1950’s. As chair he was active in student activities, including the Pasteur Club, the forerunner to the present Biology Club. During his tenure in the department, Dr. Sheehan taught courses in microtechnique, comparative anatomy and histology. In 1964, he joined the Department of Pathology in the School of Medicine. Students often commented on his subtle humor and fairness. Although deaf since the age of 15, Dr. Sheehan effectively and affectionately communicated with students, faculty and friends. He was known as a gentleman and a gentle man. In the School of Medicine, he specialized in cytology and was an active faculty member until his retirement. He remained active as a researcher and consultant staying close to his many Creighton friends until his death at the age of 94.

Sheehan scholarships are one-time awards to outstanding juniors majoring in biology. Each award is applied directly to the recipient's tuition in their senior year. Awards are typically in the $2,000-$4,500 range.

Eligibility

Applicants for the Sheehan scholarship must be junior (i.e., third year) biology majors with both an overall and a science GPA of 3.75 or higher. Each recipient will be selected primarily on the basis of academic standing and an essay on a bioethical issue. Other factors, including financial need and/or engagement in community service and academically-related activities may be included in the selection process.

Application

Please use the application form (Word file) if possible. Otherwise, please provide the information shown below. Two copies of the complete application should be submitted.

Part I - Academic Information

Provide:

Name
Academic and career goals (This should be a relatively brief statement)
Service and academically-related activities
Biology and support courses courses taken at Creighton. Include only Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics courses. For each, provide course number, course name and grade received.
Overall GPA (Through last semester - do not include mideterm grades)
GPA for Biology and support courses
An official copy of your transcript(s); the second copy of the application may have either official or photocopied transcripts.

Part II - Essay

Respond to the following bioethical issue in an essay of no more than 750 words. Do not include your name on the essay itself, but do attach it to the rest of the application.

Tax dollars are used to support both biomedical research, and medical care for some citizens. Given that the amount of money available to support both these activities is limited, what criteria should federal and state governments use to decide how to allocate funds? For example, do the future health benefits provided by dollars spent on research outweigh the need to improve current medical services for those who earn too little to afford health insurance? You might also consider how research funds should be allocated to diseases with severe effects but low incidence versus those with more moderate effects but higher incidence.

Please submit your completed application to Peggy Smith in the Biology Office, or to Dr. Cullum or Dr. Shibata, by 5:00 pm, April 18, 2008.

Faculty contacts

Dr. Alistair J. Cullum
422 Hixson-Lied Science
acullum@creighton.edu
280-3080

Dr. Annemarie Shibata
423 Hixon-Lied Science
AnnemarieShibata@creighton.edu
280-3588

Last modified: April 14, 2008