Shire Announces Seventh Annual Scholarship for Individuals With ADHD
Shire Announces Seventh Annual Scholarship for Individuals With ADHD
Lexington, MA –January 4, 2017 – Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2017 Michael Yasick ADHD Scholarship. The scholarship program is for legal residents of the United States who are under the care of a licensed health care professional for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and are accepted to or enrolled in a 2- or 4-year undergraduate program or a graduate program (of one or more years in length) at an accredited college, university, trade school, technical school, or vocational school located in the US. Shire is pleased to continue to recognize and support individuals diagnosed with ADHD in the US who are pursuing higher education.
The Michael Yasick ADHD Scholarship by Shire awards each recipient $2,000 in tuition assistance and one year of ADHD coaching services provided by the Edge Foundation to assist in meeting the challenges of higher education. Fifty nationally based scholarships and five employee-related scholarships will be awarded in July 2017. The deadline to apply is March 8,
2017.
Since the start of the program in 2011, Shire has awarded 393 national scholarships and 30 employee scholarships. Please visit www.ShireADHDscholarship.com/us to learn more about the scholarship, the eligibility requirements and to view its governing rules and regulations.
“Michael Yasick’s legacy of making a difference for individuals with ADHD lives on in the scholarship program, and Shire is proud to support so many talented students in his name,” said Mark Rus, head of Shire’s US Neuroscience Franchise.
The Michael Yasick ADHD Scholarship by Shire also includes a year of weekly sessions with ADHD coaches from the Edge Foundation. In addition to weekly coaching sessions via phone or online video chat, ADHD coaches check in via e-mail, text, or phone to assist students in meeting their goals. This support may be important for students transitioning to the less structured higher education environment.
Neil Peterson, Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Edge Foundation, said, "Shire’s scholarship program assists students with ADHD to pursue their dream of higher education. We are pleased and honored to be a part of this significant effort.”
The Edge Foundation is a Seattle-based international organization that provides coaching to students with ADHD (www.edgefoundation.org).
The Michael Yasick ADHD Scholarship by Shire is part of Shire’s patient-centric approach that provides support to ADHD patients and their caregivers.
About ADHD
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a neurobehavorial disorder that manifests as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development and is inconsistent with developmental level.
ADHD is one of the most common childhood neurobehavioral disorders. An estimated 11 percent (6.4 million) of US school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADHD in their lifetime, based on the 2011/12 National Survey of Children’s Health, in which parents were asked if a health care practitioner had ever told them their child had ADD or ADHD. Although many people tend to think of ADHD as a childhood problem, 60% to 85% of children with ADHD may continue to meet the criteria for the disorder during their teenage years. In approximately 50-66% of cases the symptoms of ADHD may continue from childhood into adulthood. The disorder is estimated to affect 4.4 percent of US adults aged 18 to 44 based on results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication of 3199 adults conducted from 2001-2003. When this percentage is extrapolated to the full US population aged 18 and over, approximately 10.5 million adults are estimated to have ADHD.
The specific etiology of ADHD is unknown. The diagnosis is made utilizing criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, (DSM-5®) or International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10). Only a trained health care professional can evaluate and diagnose ADHD.
Although there is no cure for ADHD, there are accepted treatments that have been demonstrated to improve symptoms. Standard treatments include educational approaches, psychological therapies which may include behavioral modification and/or medication. Ongoing assessment and treatment may be necessary.
For further information please contact:
| Investor Relations | ||
| Ian Karp | [email protected] | +1 781 482 9018 |
| Robert Coates | [email protected] | +44 1256 894874 |
| Media | ||
| Gwen Fisher | [email protected] | +1 484 595 9836 |
| Clotilde Houze | [email protected] | +1 781 266 3567 |
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Shire
Shire is the leading global biotechnology company focused on serving people with rare diseases and other highly specialized conditions. We strive to develop best-in-class products, many of which are available in more than 100 countries, across core therapeutic areas including Hematology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Ophthalmics, Lysosomal Storage Disorders, Gastrointestinal / Internal Medicine / Endocrine and Hereditary Angioedema; and a growing franchise in Oncology.
Our employees come to work every day with a shared mission: to develop and deliver breakthrough therapies for the hundreds of millions of people in the world affected by rare diseases and other high-need conditions, and who lack effective therapies to live their lives to the fullest.