BU Awards First Gabriel Family Foundation CTE Research Scholarship

Abigail Rasch, a second-year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), has been awarded the Gabriel Family Foundation Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Research Scholarship. In addition to the $5,000 scholarship, Rasch will be mentored in her CTE research by a faculty member connected to Boston University’s CTE Center. She is the first student to receive this honor.

The Gabriel Family Foundation CTE Research Fund was established at BUSM in 2020 by Ronald S. Gabriel, MD, BUSM’63, to provide annual research awards to BUSM medical students conducting CTE research. Up to two scholarships will be awarded yearly.

Rasch earned her undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University, majoring in neuroscience with a minor in art history. Her medical interests include emergency medicine, neurology and surgery.

Rasch is involved in numerous volunteer opportunities, including mentoring two undergraduates through the BU Women in Neuroscience (WIN) Program, teaching English as a second language, and as a voter registration volunteer. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the group that organized childcare, transportation and secondary living spaces for healthcare workers. Additionally, Rasch tutors and advises undergraduate students interested in medicine, especially those who are under-represented in medicine.