Derek Soled (MSc Medical Anthropology, 2016-17) awarded Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship

Green Templeton College alum Derek Soled (MSc Medical Anthropology, 2016-17) has won the Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship, funding his joint MD/MBA at Harvard University.

The scholarship is awarded annually by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in recognition of outstanding academic achievement, potential for success in graduate study, and promise of becoming a future leader in the chosen field of career service.

Derek’s academic interests focus on the intersection between biological and social forces in shaping disease and medical treatment. He is passionate about improving healthcare delivery and using the social sciences to better tailor public health interventions to populations most at risk.

He was previously awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship to pursue his MSc degree in medical anthropology at the University of Oxford. During his time at Green Templeton, he was awarded Nautilus Prizes for academic, athletic and college leadership. He was also Chairman of the Human Welfare Conference 2017.

Prior to his time at Green Templeton, Derek graduated with the highest distinction from Yale University, double majoring in molecular biology and sociology, and won the highest prize for both his senior theses and intellectual leadership at graduation.

As a freshman at Yale, Derek joined the fencing team as a walk-on. He went on to finish his senior year as the team’s captain and was awarded the “Pop” Grasson Cup, which is given each year to the member of the fencing team who, by spirit and determination, has contributed the most to the varsity team.

Derek is currently a second year MD/MBA candidate at Harvard University. Last year he won the 20th Annual Henry K. Beecher Prize in Medical Ethics for his paper on the bioethics of nudge theory in healthcare delivery. He also won the Dean’s Community Service Award in his role as co-founder of Medicine in Motion, a national organization dedicated to fitness and philanthropy in the medical profession.

He serves as the president of the Harvard Medical School Student Council and conducts research on public health quality and delivery in Uganda.