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NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Sept. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie today announced the launch of the voting contest phase of its annual AbbVie CF Scholarship program. The public is encouraged to visit www.AbbVieCFScholarship.com today through September 22, 2015 to help determine who will earn a total of $23,000 to pursue their educational dreams during the 2015-2016 school year.

Earlier this year, 40 extraordinary students living with cystic fibrosis (CF) received $2,500 based on academic excellence, community involvement, creativity and the ability to serve as a positive role model for the CF community. Each of these students now have the opportunity to vie for public votes to earn the title of 2015 Thriving Undergraduate or Graduate Scholar.

The individual accomplishments of the students competing in this year's Thriving Student voting contest can be found on the AbbVie CF Scholarship website (www.AbbVieCFScholarship.com). These exceptional young men and women are involved in many service activities within their local communities, including volunteering at hospitals, organizing fundraising events to help fund research to find a cure for CF, assisting the elderly and serving as tutors. The public can vote for one deserving graduate and one undergraduate student either online or by texting 23000 with the unique ID assigned to the specific scholar. The public is encouraged to browse the profiles of these highly motivated and community-minded students and vote for their favorite.

"Winning this scholarship as a graduate student was tremendously helpful in completing my master's degree in bioethics and certification in clinical ethics mediation at the University of Pennsylvania," said Emily Kramer-Golinkoff, 2011 Thriving Graduate Scholar and one of nine individuals named White House Champions of Change for Precision Medicine. "My graduate education empowered me to find my voice as a patient advocate and fundraiser in the CF community, and supported the growth of my non-profit CF foundation, Emily's Entourage, which has raised over $1.5M in 3.5 years to accelerate research for rare nonsense mutations of CF."

AbbVie recognizes the financial burdens that exist for families of students with CF. Since 1993, it has supported the community by providing more than $2.5 million in educational funding to hundreds of students living with this chronic disease.

"The AbbVie CF Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity to help fund the educational aspirations of students living with CF and lessen the financial burden so that they can continue to reach for their dreams," said Jim Hynd, vice president, GI Care, AbbVie. "Over the last 23 years, all of our scholarship recipients have demonstrated great civic engagement and potential as the next generation of leaders in their communities."

About Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of those living with this condition. In patients with CF, a thick, sticky mucus is produced in certain organs throughout the body, most commonly the lungs and digestive system. The mucus build-up in the lungs can cause difficulty breathing and may lead to life-threatening lung infections. In the digestive system, the thick mucus may prevent proper food digestion, potentially leading to malabsorption and malnutrition.

About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013 following separation from Abbott Laboratories. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to develop and market advanced therapies that address some of the world's most complex and serious diseases. Together with its wholly-owned subsidiary, Pharmacyclics, AbbVie employs more than 28,000 people worldwide and markets medicines in more than 170 countries. For further information on the company and its people, portfolio and commitments, please visit www.abbvie.com.  Follow @abbvie on Twitter or view careers on our Facebook or LinkedIn page.

SOURCE AbbVie