In December fourth-year UBC science student Emma Preston, who helped to make UBC-patented medicine more accessible in developing countries, was named the 2008 Rhodes Scholar for British Columbia.

The scholarship will allow Ms Preston, a microbiology and immun­ology major, to pursue a master’s degree in global health science at Oxford University, starting October 2008. Ms Preston aims to improve public health policy affecting marginalized populations. At UBC she was a founding member of a chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM). Thanks in part to her efforts, in 2007 UBC became the first university in Canada to commit to a UAEM initiative to make university-patented technologies and pharmaceuticals accessible in developing countries.

Ms Preston has complemented her studies as a research assistant at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and the BC Centre for Disease Control. She has performed laboratory research on resistance to antiretroviral medication, studied drug use epidemiology and local public health policy, and she ran a leadership program at Camp Moomba, a national summer camp for children affected by HIV/AIDS. 

The Rhodes Scholarships, established in 1902, were designed to bring outstanding students from across the world to study at Oxford University in the interests of promoting international understanding and public service. One student from every province is chosen each year.