PHF Reagan Sloane Shanley Scholarship

If you are interested in applying for one of the available PHF Reagan Sloane Shanley Scholarships, please download either the
2026 Reagan Sloane Shanley Scholarship Application or the
2026 Reagan Sloane Shanley Internship Program Application.

2025 Reagan Sloane Shanley New Scholarship Recipients:
$10,000 Marie Michenkova; Virginia Commonwealth University (Educational Scholarship)

Completed Reagan Sloane Shanley Educational Scholarship Recipients:

$30,000 Ashley Dunbar; Quinnipiac University
$30,000 Andrew Scott Emmert; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
$30,000 Victor Popa-Simil; University of Michigan
$30,000 Teresa Anderson; Georgia Tech University
$20,000 Joseph Chen; Brown University
$20,000 Alexandra Brooks; Northeast Ohio Medical University
$20,000 Samuel Martin, Johns Hopkins University
$20,000 Bobby Lodge, New Jersey Institute of Technology
$20,000 Elea Abisamra; Virginia Tech
$10,000 Bella Rose Schremmer; UCLA
$10,000 Hailey Amira McKee; University of Kentucky
$ 4,000 Isabella Sacharczyk; Holyoke Community College

Completed Reagan Sloane Shanley Internship Scholarship Recipients:
$30,000 Dr. Maria Lehtinen; Lehtinen Lab @ Boston Children’s Hospital (Internship Program Scholarship)

About The Reagan Sloane Shanley Scholarship:

The scholarship is named in honor of Connecticut resident Reagan Shanley, 5 ½ years old, who was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 9 months and had two brain surgeries before she turned 18 months. Reagan was treated with an Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV) which is an alternative surgical procedure that creates a bypass for the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the head and eliminates the need for a shunt. A shunt, the most common treatment for hydrocephalus, is a silicone tube used to divert CSF.

While shunts may be lifesaving, they are permanent mechanical devices and fail for a variety of reasons over the course of a patient’s life. Reagan’s parents Tim and Cindy Shanley (CT State Chapter Directors of the PHF) remain optimistic that Reagan’s condition will continue to be successfully managed with the ETV. However, their experience with Reagan, as well as seeing the struggles that fellow hydrocephalus families have with the 50+ year old shunt treatment, has made them realize that better “work-arounds” are needed.

The Shanley’s are committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists to find advancements in the treatment of hydrocephalus so that Reagan and all of the other children who suffer from this condition can lead better lives.

Student scholarship – is available to applicants with an interest in the discipline of neuroscience and/or engineering and have an understanding and/or current interest in Hydrocephalus, cerebral spinal fluid and the brain. The maximum funding request per application is $10,000 per year, (up to a 3-year commitment with re-approval each year).

Research Internship – requests must be made by the research organization or hospital for a new internship fully dedicated to Hydrocephalus or related brain conditions. The Grant is available to practices/research organizations with a predominant emphasis on neuro-conditions. The maximum funding request per application is $10,000 per year, (up to a 3-year commitment with re-approval each year).

Submitting Application
You can email, fax or mail your completed application.
• Email: grantprograms@hydrocephaluskids.org
• Fax: (847) 589-1250
• Mail: PHF Inc, Grant Programs, 76 Main Street, Suite 202, Woodbridge, NJ 07095