Janssen Therapeutics Establishes Point Scholarship for LGBT Students

TITUSVILLE, N.J., April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP, is supporting education for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students through the creation of a Point Scholarship. Point Foundation (Point) is the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit. Janssen Therapeutics is the first pharmaceutical company to fund a Point Scholarship.

The Janssen Therapeutics Point Scholarship provides funding for a four-year period to graduating high school seniors and college students with a field of study focused on HIV/AIDS or attending a business school. The scholarship recipient receives financial assistance, and is matched with a mentor who is a successful professional and serves as a role model for the scholar.

Janssen is awarding its first Point Scholarship to Siddarth (Sid) Puri to support his medical studies at University of California (UC) Davis School of Medicine. Born in Kentucky to Indian immigrants, Sid was raised in Los Angeles (LA), California. Watching his mother, a physician, work with patients in LA and in rural India taught him the importance of advocating for the underserved. At UC Davis, Sid is a co-director of the Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic (JVMC), a student-run clinic dedicated to serving the health care needs of uninsured drug users, sex workers and their families in Sacramento.

Sid is active in his school's LGBT People in Medicine organization and is pursuing research on health disparities faced by the transgender community both in the US and in India. He continues to strive toward integrating both his cultural and sexual identities, and has a special interest in supporting LGBT South Asians through the process of coming out to their families. "Thanks to the generosity of Janssen Therapeutics and Point Foundation, I am on the way to getting my medical degree so I can provide culturally sensitive medical care to the LGBT community and all people living with HIV/AIDS," Mr. Puri said.

"Janssen Therapeutics is honored to support Sid's education and his efforts in advocating for the underserved," said Ron Falcon, MD, Director of Marketing, HIV, Janssen Therapeutics, adding, "This scholarship further extends our commitment to diversity."

By supporting Point Scholars such as Sid and investing in their future, Janssen Therapeutics is helping to support the Point Foundation's mission of making it possible for an increasing number of meritorious students to attend the nation's foremost higher educational institutions.

About Janssen Therapeutics
At Janssen, we are dedicated to addressing and solving some of the most important unmet medical needs of our time in HIV and other infectious diseases. Driven by our commitment to patients, we develop innovative products, services and healthcare solutions to help people throughout the world. Headquartered in Titusville, New Jersey, Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP, is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. Visit http://www.janssentherapeutics.com for more information and follow us on Twitter at @JanssenUS.

Media Contact: Ilona Rubino
Office: 609-730-6620
Mobile: 484-678-8698

SOURCE Janssen Therapeutics