Grantee highlights

With the help of an Avantor Foundation grant, Emory University's Department of Human Genetics offered a six-weeks summer research internship to Atlanta high school students in 2023. In addition to general program support, the Foundation funded stipends for 12 participants.

Targeting Atlanta-based tenth and eleventh graders from historically underrepresented ethnicities in science, the STEM-based program included class lectures on genetics, guest speakers, information on college and career readiness, hands-on research experience and field trips to Fernbank Museum, CDC Museum and Microsoft. Each student was mentored by a School of Medicine faculty member and was required to complete a project, that was shared at a symposium during the last week of the program.

Program statistics

• 21 students from historically underrepresented ethnicities participated
• 100% of the students became more aware of STEM careers
• 100% of the students became more interested in STEM careers
• 100% of the students became more interested in studying STEM
• 100% of the students became more knowledgeable about STEM subjects
• Avantor associates volunteered by providing a resume building session and hosting mock interviews to prepare the students for future interviews

In Singapore, an Avantor Foundation grant funded the development and rollout of a program providing medical care for migrant workers with chronic diseases. The program is managed by HealthServe, a nonprofit dedicated to providing healthcare, counseling, casework and other services to the country's migrant workers.

Staffed by a nurse experienced in chronic disease, the new case management program provided crucial care to more than 150 migrants in 2023, many of whom may not have otherwise received treatment. Migrant workers often have serious chronic illness — such as diabetes and hypertension — but are reluctant to seek help from their employers for fear of losing their work visas and being sent home.

The program also sponsored Health Carnivals, which provided healthcare education and checkups to more than 1,300 migrant workers.

Grant Impact

• 152 patients were enrolled into HealthServe's nurse-led chronic disease management program, 40 of which were high-touch case management patients (either on insulin or HbA1c >10%)
• Of patients with diabetes, 52% showed an improved HbA1c level
• There was a 10% reduction in blood pressure
• Over 1,300 workers received health education at 11 outreach Health Carnivals
• Avantor associates volunteered at HealthServe's Health Carnivals

In partnership with the Avantor Foundation, Greenlight for Girls (g4g) designed and hosted three one-day STEM Exploratoria events for high school girls from underserved communities in Europe. With the goal of "Designing the Lab of the Future," the events aimed to inspire young women to see themselves in STEM professions and have fun exploring concepts of sustainability, healthcare and innovation in a hackathon-inspired environment.

Participants, girls 15–18, also learned from Avantor associate volunteers who shared their experiences working in the world of science.

With a mission of closing the gender gap in long-term STEM careers, g4g engages female students at the local level in the hopes of influencing their perception of STEM and what it means to be a woman in these fields. The nonprofit connects girls to role models in STEM and leads hands-on activities that build girls' skills so they feel inspired to see all of their future possibilities.

Grant Impact

• 130 high school girls participated in three STEM Exploratoria events in Belgium, France and Spain; another 94 participated virtually during the 2022–23 academic year
• On average, 91% felt more inspired to see themselves in STEM fields
• On average, 88% were more likely to consider studies or a career in STEM
• Avantor associates volunteered across the three events