A West Virginia University senior from Charleston has been named a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research fellow.

Nnenna Minimah, who will graduate from WVU with a bachelors degree in psychology this weekend, is one of 18 students from across the nation participating in the 10-week undergraduate summer program at the University of Massachusetts.

The fellowship provides outstanding minority students with opportunities for biomedical research. Fellows have faculty mentors and take part in laboratory experiments, training workshops, group discussions and field trips.

The NIH program covers housing and travel costs. In addition, students earn a $4,000 stipend for the program, which culminates with a poster presentation, highlighting studentssummer research activities.

Minimah hopes to get her masters degree in public health from WVU and then pursue a doctorate in health psychology with a focus on cardiovascular health. She would like to someday develop preventative measures to improve young adultsheart health through lifestyle changes and awareness of risky behaviors.

The WVU student said the fellowship is an important step toward meeting those goals.

This program is an opportunity for me to get research experience in a med-center lab setting focused in my area of psychology,she said.Since it is with the NIH , it will provide excellent experience that can help me as I apply for a Ph.D. program and might even lead to a career with the NIH .

Minimah added that she is looking forward to the summer program and learning about her fellow classmates and study schedules.

The first week we will get trained in how to use the labs,she said.After that, I know there will be a lot of reading and time spent in the library and probably 20-plus hours per week in the lab.

Minimah credited her experience in the WVU McNair Scholars Program with helping her secure the fellowship.

The staff helped me discover that I am interested in research as a potential career and encouraged me to pursue a research internship for the summer,she said.Without the assistance from the McNair team, I wouldnt even know how to look for an internship. Plus, my experience as a McNair Scholar made me a good candidate for the fellowship.

WVU s McNair Scholars Program helps prepare accomplished, first-generation college students and those from groups underrepresented in doctoral programs for graduate study.

On the Net:http://www.wvu.edu/~mcnair/