Washington, D.C. -- The American Academy of HIV Medicine ("the Academy") has awarded its first Scott Hitt HIV Scholarship to Linda Kay Shipton, MD. Dr. Shipman will apply her $10,000 award to further her HIV-specific medical training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. The Scott Hitt HIV Scholarship is funded by a grant from Bristol Meyers Squibb.

Dr. Shipton made her decision to focus on HIV disease after spending two months at a government hospital in Kenya as part of her medical internship and residency at Brown University. "It was there that I first saw the devastation of HIV in the developing world," she says. [The experience] enforced my desire to seek further training in infectious disease, in particular HIV."

The Scott Hitt HIV Scholarship, named in honor of Academy Founder and former Executive Director R. Scott Hitt, MD, was created to encourage the nation's Internal Medicine/Family Practice/Pediatric/OBGYN residents, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and clinicians in post-residency training programs to enter the field of HIV medicine.

"We are honored to present Dr. Lipton with this scholarship," said Dr. Hitt. "Whether she is working at a community health clinic in Massachusetts or a government hospital in Africa, her fierce dedication to her patients and her relentless pursuit of cutting edge medical knowledge makes her a true inspiration for all of us who are HIV health care providers."

"The Scott Hitt HIV Scholarship program truly represents the Academy's core values," said Executive Director Howard Grossman, MD "By cultivating the new generation of HIV health care providers, we can increase access to qualified medical care for our nation's HIV-infected citizens, and fulfill our mission to advance excellence in HIV medicine through specialized provider education."

For more information about eligibility for the 2007 Scott Hitt HIV Scholarship, or to donate to the scholarship's fund, contact the Academy at info@aahivm.org.