In a study in the journal Environmental Research, researchers compared blood samples of people participating in the . The researchers found that people living in greener neighborhoods showed immune patterns consistent with lower chronic inflammation, including lower levels of several circulating immune cells linked to inflammatory activity, such as monocytes, natural killer cells, B cells and some white blood cell types.

“The study also found evidence of a shift toward a more regulated immune profile, suggesting that nearby trees and vegetation may do more than improve quality of life – they may also influence the body’s immune system in ways that support cardiovascular health,” said Daniel Riggs, assistant professor in UofL’s and first author of the study. “While the study cannot prove cause and effect, the findings add to growing evidence that greener residential environments may be an important public health resource for reducing inflammation and promoting long-term health.”

The findings provide additional support for preliminary findings from the Green Heart Louisville Project showing that people living in neighborhoods where the number of trees and shrubs was more than doubled had lower levels of a blood biomarker of inflammation than those living outside the planted areas. Those living in the greened area had 13-20% lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) than those living in the areas that did not receive additional trees and shrubs. Higher levels of hsCRP are strongly associated with a risk of cardiovascular disease. Higher CRP levels also indicate a higher risk of diabetes and certain cancers.

The recent study evaluated the immune function of Green Heart Louisville Project participants based on the greenness of their residential environment prior to the addition of trees for the project.

“These studies show that greener neighborhoods don’t just look better; they appear to educate our immune system in ways that may reduce chronic inflammation and disease risk,” said Aruni Bhatnagar, director of the Envirome Institute. “They align with the Envirome Institute’s mission of identifying environmental conditions that shape human health and translating those insights into strategies for improving the health of our communities.”

UofL in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Washington University in St. Louis, Hyphae Design Laboratory and others to study whether and how living among more densely greened surroundings contributes to better heart health.

The project design, a multi-phase transformation supported by $6.75 million in combined city and state funding, features expanded sidewalks, increased tree canopy and extensive landscaping. New curb extensions will introduce seating areas and further soften the urban environment. By enhancing pedestrian infrastructure, the project aims to create a street that is safer and more welcoming to the thousands of employees, students and patients who traverse the district daily.

In collaboration with city officials and project partners Gresham Smith and Pace Contracting, LOUMED has begun project construction for the project in the 300 block of East Chestnut Street. This location allows the new work to physically and visually connect the streetscape to LOUMED Commons, a public park opened in November 2025 that converted a vacant lot into vital green space, and to enhance UofL’s Health Sciences Center.

The project is located within the study area of Greenprint, a 10-year initiative coordinated by UofL’s and its affiliated Urban Design Studio. Greenprint integrates science-based greening strategies into downtown Louisville’s growth and redevelopment, optimizing new green spaces so they can have the greatest impact on human health. The initiative links separate projects like LOUMED Commons and the Chestnut Street improvements, ensuring a shared commitment to creating a cooler, cleaner and healthier Louisville.

The Chestnut Street Improvement Project is informed by walkability studies and temperature monitoring conducted by UofL’s Center for Geographic Information Sciences (ULCGIS), which recently became part of the Envirome Institute. Using drone-mounted thermal imaging sensors to map surface temperatures across project areas, ULCGIS staff identify hot spots and provide data to help guide planting strategies that can cool the city and support healthier, more comfortable microenvironments. Researchers will continue to monitor the impact of this greening on the local microclimate and human health and comfort to develop a replicable national model for greening urban pedestrian areas in other cities.

Construction for the Chestnut Street project is proceeding in a phased approach to minimize disruption. Work on the current block is scheduled for completion later this year. Crews will then immediately begin improvements on the three subsequent blocks extending east from South Preston to South Clay streets, with the full eastern section projected to be complete in 2027.

Huang-Ge Zhang, a professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and endowed chair in cancer research at the Brown Cancer Center, and Jun Yan, chief of the Division of Immunotherapy within the Department of Surgery, are included in the 2025 report. Clarivate provides data, insights and analytics for academia, life sciences, health care and other fields and has compiled listings of the top 1% of researchers annually since 2014.

Citations, when one researcher references and builds on another’s work, are an important measure of success for academics. Typically, citations mean the researcher made a meaningful and original contribution to the world’s knowledge — and that their peers agree.

In a separate published list, more than 100 UofL researchers are listed among the top 2% most-cited in their fields in 2024, according to an updated list . The list spans researchers in 22 disciplines, from business to basic science, engineering and medicine, whose journal articles were the most referenced by other researchers in their works in 2024.

UofL researchers on the Elsevier list represent eight of the university’s schools and colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business, Dentistry, ����ֱ��, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Public Health & Information Sciences.

“When a scholar’s work is cited by another scholar, it affirms the value of their work in the eyes of other researchers,” said Jon Klein, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “This recognition for so many UofL researchers highlights their impact in a wide variety of areas.”

The list, prepared by John P.A. Ioannidis of Stanford University, is based on data compiled by Elsevier, a publisher of academic scientific and medical journals. A separate table linked in the article recognizes top-cited researchers based on career-long impact and is calculated based on publications dating to 1995. That list also includes more than 100 UofL researchers.

UofL researchers among the top-cited in their fields in 2024:

• Thomas Abell, School of Medicine
• David Adamkin, School of Medicine 
• Manju Ahuja, College of Business 
• Bahaaldin Alsoufi, School of Medicine
• Farrukh Aqil, School of Medicine
• Ronald Atlas, School of Medicine
• Swagato Banerjee, College of Arts & Sciences
• Richard Baumgartner, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Harold Bays, School of Medicine
• Aruni Bhatnagar, School of Medicine (AHA)
• Kunwar Bhatnagar, School of Medicine
• Roberto Bolli, School of Medicine 
• Douglas Borchman, School of Medicine 
• Konrad Bresin, College of Arts & Sciences
• Lu Cai, School of Medicine
• Jeffrey Callen, School of Medicine
• Manuel Fernando Casanova, School of Medicine
• Matthew Cave, School of Medicine
• Jonathan Chaires, School of Medicine
• Andrew Chamblin, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• William Cheadle, School of Medicine
• Jason Chesney, School of Medicine
• Kevin Chou, J.B. Speed School of Engineering 
• Daniel Conklin, School of Medicine
• Toru Deguchi, School of Dentistry
• ZhongBin Deng, School of Medicine
• Gill Diamond, School of Dentistry
• Dale Ding, School of Medicine
• Lee Dugatkin, College of Arts & Sciences
• John Eaton, School of Medicine
• Ronald Elin, School of Medicine
• Adel Elmaghraby, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Andreas Elpidorou, College of Arts & Sciences
• Adam Enders, College of Arts & Sciences
• Paul Ewald, College of Arts & Sciences 
• Mary Fallat, School of Medicine 
• Minghong Fang, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Allan Farman, School of Dentistry
• Eugene Fletcher, School of Medicine
• Gary Foulks, School of Medicine
• Joseph Fowler, School of Medicine
• Per Fredriksson, College of Business
• Robert P. Friedland, School of Medicine
• Susan Galandiuk, School of Medicine
• Sachin Handa, College of Arts & Sciences
• Brian Harbrecht, School of Medicine
• David Hein, School of Medicine
• George Higgins, College of Arts & Sciences 
• Bradford Hill, School of Medicine
• Steven Jones, School of Medicine
• Dinesh Kalra, School of Medicine
• Seyed Karimi, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Mohsen Bahmani Kashkouli, School of Medicine
• Karen Kayser, Kent School of Social Work
• Carolyn Klinge, School of Medicine 
• Charles Kodner, School of Medicine
• Richard Lamont, School of Dentistry
• Rainer Lenhardt, School of Medicine
• Cheri Levinson, College of Arts & Sciences
• Ying Li, College of Arts & Sciences
• Bert Little, School of Public Health and Information Sciences 
• Yiyan Liu, School of Medicine
• Igor Lukashevich, School of Medicine
• Vija Lusebrink, College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development
• Robert Malina, School of Public Health & Information Sciences
• Arthur Malkani, School of Medicine
• Gary Marshall, School of Medicine
• Robert C.G. Martin, School of Medicine
• Craig McClain, School of Medicine
• Stephen McClave, School of Medicine
• Kelly McMasters, School of Medicine
• Suzanne Meeks, College of Arts & Sciences
• Michael Merchant, School of Medicine
• Carolyn Mervis, College of Arts & Sciences
• Donald Miller, School of Medicine
• Jingyao Mu, School of Medicine
• John Nyland, School of Medicine
• Hiram Polk, School of Medicine
• Jan Potempa, School of Dentistry
• Janina Ratajczak, School of Medicine
• Robert Reilly, School of Public Health & Information Sciences
• J. David Richardson, School of Medicine
• Mark Rothstein, Brandeis School of Law
• William Scarfe, School of Dentistry
• Charles Scoggins, School of Medicine
• Brad Shuck, College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development
• Ashwani Singal, School of Medicine
• Leah Siskind, School of Medicine
• Mark Slaughter, School of Medicine
• Sanjay Srivastava, School of Medicine
• Christopher States, School of Medicine
• Yi Tan, School of Medicine
• Douglas Taylor, School of Medicine
• Yun Teng, School of Medicine
• Richard Tewksbury, College of Arts & Sciences
• Neetu Tyagi, School of Medicine
• Suresh Tyagi, School of Medicine
• Teruo Umemoto, College of Arts & Sciences
• Jeffrey Valentine, College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development
• Václav Větvička, School of Medicine
• Banrida Wahlang, School of Medicine
• Eugenia Wang, School of Medicine
• Hui Wang, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Frederic Wightman, School of Medicine
• John Pierce Wise Sr., School of Medicine
• Jun Yan, School of Medicine
• Pavel Zahorik, College of Arts & Sciences
• Huang-Ge Zhang, School of Medicine (VA)
• Jacek Żurada, J.B. Speed School of Engineering

It is the first Power 50 recognition for all three men.

Two members of the , Christopher Dischinger and John Hollenbach, also are among those recognized.

For the sixth consecutive year, Business First has published the list of 50 most influential business and civic leaders in the region. Louisville Business First selected honorees from individuals nominated by the public and those covered in the publication’s own reporting and sourcing. It does not include elected officials. The 5 on the Rise class recognizes emerging influential leaders.

Bradley assumed leadership of UofL in March after serving as executive vice president and university provost and dean of the UofL School of Dentistry. Since taking the helm at UofL, Bradley has overseen the completion of the , the opening of the Engineering Student Success and Research Building and surpassing 25,000 enrolled students for the first time in the university’s history.

In his State of the University address on Feb. 12, Bradley highlighted goals for UofL, including a focus on further improvements in enrollment, six-year retention rates, degrees offered and experiential learning opportunities. He intends to prioritize new residence halls and academic research facilities.

“I am grateful to lead this great university and amplify its positive impact on the city of Louisville,” Bradley said. “It is an honor to be recognized by Business First in the Power 50 2026, particularly after less than a year in my role as president of UofL.”

Since being named director of athletics in 2022, Heird also has had some significant wins. He hired Jeff Brohm to lead the football program and Pat Kelsey to take the reins of men’s basketball. In the 2024-25 season, ten UofL teams earned a top-25 ranking and 11 programs earned trips to the postseason. 

Under Heird’s leadership, student-athlete academic success has been a priority. Last semester closed with an overall department GPA of 3.431 — with 18 of 19 sports above 3.2. UofL athletes are also winning with a 96% graduation success rate. 

Jason Smith, chief executive officer of UofL Health, was named CEO of the health system in October after serving most recently as its interim CEO and chief medical officer. In December, he oversaw the opening of the $186 million, seven-story .

The honorees will be profiled in the March 27, 2026, print edition of Louisville Business First, and online around that time.

By carefully combining information from previous studies with the results from these two recent clinical trials, the researchers showed that the therapies tested in the recent trials now show stronger evidence of meaningfully improving outcomes in children with high-risk Group 3 medulloblastoma.

High-risk Group 3 medulloblastoma is a fast-growing and notoriously hard-to-treat childhood brain cancer. Because so few children are diagnosed each year, even large national studies can enroll only a handful of patients. In one of the trials, only 10 children with this tumor type received the new therapy. In another, only 43 children were treated, despite the fact that the trial was open in dozens of cancer centers in the United States.

Unfortunately, these numbers are too low to thoroughly evaluate a therapy’s effectiveness using traditional analysis methods.

“These small numbers make it extremely difficult for traditional statistical methods to show with certainty whether the therapies truly work,” said , a neurosurgeon and scientist at UofL and who led the reanalysis study. “As a result, promising treatments for these children can remain in limbo – not because they fail, but because the evidence isn’t strong enough using traditional approaches.”

To overcome this challenge, the UofL team used a novel statistical approach called dynamic borrowing via Bayesian models, which carefully “borrows” information from previous studies to strengthen the results of new trials. The idea is to let the model learn how similar the past and present data are, and to borrow more past data that match and less when they differ. The researchers ran 10,000 computer simulations using this process, ensuring that the findings remained both reliable and not artificially inflated.

Using this method, they reanalyzed data from two recent national trials and found a greater than 90% probability that the therapies tested in the clinical trials truly do provide benefit for children with high-risk Group 3 medulloblastoma. The therapies that had limited statistical power under traditional analyses now appear strongly promising under the new approach and as a result, may warrant renewed consideration as effective treatment options.

For children and families facing the devastating diagnosis of this aggressive cancer, these findings bring renewed hope that these treatments are not only worth trying but also are likely to be effective.

The research team in September.

“This work is part of a larger effort at UofL to modernize how we design, conduct and analyze clinical trial data, helping scientists and physicians learn as much as possible from the small, precious data that take years to collect in rare diseases,” Mistry said. “Our goal is to make the most of every patient’s experience – past and present – to improve the care of future patients. It is our way of honoring every child and adult who participates in clinical trials by ensuring their contributions continue to shape the treatments of tomorrow.”

Mistry, who was profiled in the  also led a team that recently published the , showing the composition of tumors at the genomic level, combined with clinical information such as patient age, tumor location and survival outcomes. This  is a free, publicly available tool that promises to speed up the discovery of treatments for brain and nerve tumors, especially rare ones that have had limited research attention, like Group 3 medulloblastomas.

This project was supported by the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund and the Kentucky Department for Public Health. Mistry’s work also is supported by the Louisville Clinical and Translational Research Center at UofL and by a UofL Presidential Scholars award.

“Physics was the one class that really resonated with me. Being good at both math and science just sort of led me to engineering,” Kellem said.

After earning his associate’s degree at ECTC, transferring to the University of Louisville’s was a natural next step for the Nelson County, Ky., native.

Kellem had excelled academically at ECTC and he continued to excel at UofL, where he has a 3.9 GPA. He will graduate this month, earning a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering.

“I decided to go for mechanical engineering because I didn’t want to pick anything that was too specialized. Mechanical engineering seems to be like the most general engineering program. You get lots of experience in different fields.”

While at UofL, Kellem explored a wide variety of engineering opportunities through work at the Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute and Speed School’s co-op program. His outstanding academics led him to membership in the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Mortar Board and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Kellem completed his co-op experiences with SCHOTT North America – Home Tech, where he worked in quality control for heat-resistant glass such as would be used in a fireplace window or glass cooktop.

“That was probably the most fun I’ve ever had working,” Kellem said. “I enjoyed the quality control because it involved physical tests, having their data broken down and analyzed to look for trends. I found ways to optimize the cutting process and even helped develop a way to cut at a much faster rate. I think quality control is something I’d be good at as a career.”

He enjoys working in a team environment, particularly engineering group projects. For his capstone project, Kellem’s group designed and built a conveyor belt.

“Teaming up with other people kind of makes it a little easier to parse through stuff because I can bounce ideas off of other people. Sometimes you explain things to them, they explain things to you, and things make a little more sense.”

Valuable mentor support

Kellem said Mike Miller in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development’s was especially helpful. Miller mentored Kellem, who has an autism diagnosis, in developing relationships and connecting with other offices at the university.

“My first two years here, he was pretty much helping me get through everything I needed to do. He was helping me schedule things. He was talking to different offices on my behalf. He actually got me a ton of scholarships that I would not have gotten. That was definitely helpful,” Kellem said.

The Autism Training Center helps neurodivergent students navigate many aspects of university life, from connecting with social and academic organizations to ensuring they get the right parking permit. The center also helps faculty members provide an environment that fosters success for the students.

Miller is impressed with Kellem’s work ethic and willingness to stretch – joining clubs, making friends, exploring new situations.

“He is just an amazing student.” Miller said of Kellem. “There is not anything this young man will not attempt. He has drive and leadership capabilities.”

After graduating this month, Kellem and his family plan to celebrate with a vacation in Orlando, Fla.

In January, he will turn his focus to landing a job in engineering.

In the book, Busby explains how the combination of state capacity, political exclusion and international assistance determine the degree to which the impacts of climate change affect security for a country’s citizens.

“The effects of pollution from burning fossil fuels have fundamentally altered our climate and will get worse until we move to cleaner energy,” Busby said. “Even as we transition away from fossil fuels, we have to prepare for climate impacts, some of which are inevitable at this point.

“Countries with weak government capacity, where political institutions exclude some people from power and where foreign assistance is blocked or delivered to some groups and not others are likely to have the worst outcomes, including humanitarian emergencies and violent conflict,” he said.

“But the hopeful story of my book is that the worst consequences of climate change are not inevitable. Governments, even very poor ones, can take steps to protect their populations from climate harms and prevent large-scale loss of life from exposure to climate-related extreme weather, including cyclones and droughts. With a little bit of outside help, governments have been able to reduce their vulnerability to climate disasters and concerted action can prevent climate shocks from escalating to violence.”

Charles E. Ziegler, University of Louisville professor of political science, University Scholar and director of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order, said Busby’s book examines the crucial global governance topic of confronting the negative implications of climate change in the realm of security.

“Busby’s carefully conducted case studies allow for comparison of neighboring states that are confronted with similar climate hazards, yet experience very different outcomes,” Ziegler said. “The policy implications for confronting the security costs of climate change are clear and particularly timely given controversy about how to deal with the global climate crisis.”

The Grawemeyer Award for World Order has been given annually since 1988.

“I am thrilled and humbled to have the book recognized this way and to join the august company of previous winners of this award,” Busby said.

Busby will visit Louisville in April 2026 to give a free talk on his winning ideas and accept his award.

About the Grawemeyer Awards

Each year the Grawemeyer Awards honor the power of creative ideas to improve our culture via music composition, world order, education, religion and psychology. Business executive and philanthropist H. Charles Grawemeyer established the awards in 1984 at the University of Louisville.

Academics and community members choose among nominees from around the world to ensure that each winning idea is both innovative and accessible. The University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary announce the winners in December and present the awards at a ceremony the following April. The five award winners receive $100,000 each, which they may use, if they choose, to develop and accelerate the spread of their powerful ideas. Learn more at 

DIU works with companies to rapidly prototype and scale technologies for national defense and currently operates OnRamp Hubs across the U.S. in Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, Ohio and Washington. The addition of OnRamp Hub: Kentucky presents an opportunity for talent and technology companies across the state.

“The University of Louisville is establishing itself as a national leader in defense technology and innovation,” said Senator Mitch McConnell, who supported UofL’s selection for the hub. “Today’s announcement will bring a Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hub to Kentucky with UofL as the commonwealth’s delivery partner. I am proud that UofL will create new opportunities for defense companies, researchers and students to contribute directly to our national security.”

Multiple areas of established infrastructure at UofL will contribute to the hub’s mission, including a nationally ranked research enterprise, particularly assets within the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, such as defense-focused facilities in additive manufacturing, robotics, cybersecurity and micro and nano technology. Support mechanisms for innovation commercialization and existing partnerships with regional defense and manufacturing entities also will contribute to the hub’s goals.

“We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to engage the talents and assets at the University of Louisville to strengthen our nation’s security, while elevating manufacturing businesses and innovators across Kentucky,” said UofL President Gerry Bradley.

UofL has demonstrated success in outreach and education for Kentucky’s manufacturing businesses through the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership (KY-MEP), which provides support and networking for Kentucky manufacturers. This expertise will translate directly to OnRamp endeavors, giving UofL a leg up in launching the hub’s collaboration and programming efforts.

“Kentucky has a long and proud history of contributing to America’s security and the launch of this DIU OnRamp Hub builds on that legacy. It will be a game-changer, speeding innovations to our warfighters and providing a dedicated space for innovators to receive mentoring and rapidly deploy tech that strengthens national defense,” said Will Metcalf, UofL associate vice president for research development and strategic partnerships.

William Fortune, a Kentucky native, has been named director of the Kentucky’s Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub, bringing more than two decades of military and civilian leadership experience and a strong background in deploying and operationalizing new technologies.

Kentucky’s Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub, overseen by and supported with funding from the DIU, is located in a dedicated, state-of-the-art collaboration space at 300 East Market St. on UofL’s J.D. Nichols Campus for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Fortune will lead a team of full-time personnel, in offering a suite of comprehensive programming at the hub designed to lower barriers to entry and speed development of new innovations. These services will disseminate the expertise present at UofL for the benefit of Kentucky businesses, building a unified defense innovation ecosystem to support warfighter needs.

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The Defense Innovation OnRamp Hubs are a strategic initiative by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) designed to lower barriers to entry for the talent and technology found in academia, startups and commercial companies. Recognizing that the best-of-breed technology can be found across the country, DIU currently has OnRamp Hub locations approved in eight states. These hubs serve as accessible entry points – local “front doors” – for innovators to collaborate directly with the DoW.

The Green Heart Louisville Project is a groundbreaking scientific study that is testing the hypothesis that introducing more green trees and shrubs into a neighborhood can directly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

“Receiving this award is a great honor not only for our investigators, but also our partners and communities,” said Aruni Bhatnagar, director of the at University of Louisville and project leader for Green Heart Louisville. “It validates years of work which has shown that thoughtfully planned greening can improve cardiovascular and community health, and it affirms that the Green Heart project is not only good science, but also a model for how to improve human health in urban environments. The recognition gives us new momentum to scale this work across Louisville and beyond.”

The Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning was established in 2019 by William Witte, an alumnus of the Weitzman School, and his wife, Keiko Sakamoto to recognize a firm, team or professional for an exemplary plan that advances the field of plan making in at least four of the following areas: social equity, environmental quality, design, public health, mobility, housing affordability and economic development. The juries for the Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal and Prize were chaired by Megan Ryerson, UPS Foundation Chair of Transportation, chair of city and regional planning, and professor of city and regional planning and electrical and systems engineering at Weitzman.

“Green Heart Louisville exemplifies a holistic way of looking at public health – a marriage of design, planning and science to emulate,” said Fritz Steiner, dean and Paley Professor at Weitzman, and a member of the jury who selected Green Heart Louisville for the award.

Launched in 2018 by UofL’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute with support from The Nature Conservancy, the study investigates whether and how living among more densely greened surroundings contributes to better heart health. The Green Heart team applied the treatment – the addition of thousands of mature trees and shrubs – to the center of a four-square-mile area in south Louisville.

The first clinical outcomes from the study, , indicate that people living in neighborhoods where the number of trees and shrubs was more than doubled showed lower levels of a blood marker of inflammation than those living in the control area. General inflammation is an important risk indicator for heart disease and other chronic diseases.

The Green Heart Project’s work to establish a scientific link between nature – specifically urban greenery – and human health is already influencing projects worldwide. The first clinical outcomes announcement garnered widespread national media attention. Many research papers, posters and talks on the project have been delivered to both scientists and laypeople since the project’s inception, and robust research and outreach for the project continues.

The Yum! Scholars Program, launched this fall through the in the UofL College of Business, has welcomed 10 students to its first cohort. Yum! Scholars, who may be from any school and major across the university, receive up to $8,000 in financial support and mentoring within a community designed to help them become the next generation of leaders who drive growth, innovation and success in the franchising world. Successful scholars will embody the spirit of leadership, resilience and community impact.

“Being selected as a Yum! Scholar means having the support and opportunity to turn my hard work and dreams into a future where I can give back to my community,” said Ethan Walker, a junior majoring in business administration and one of the scholars selected.

The program is made possible by a $1-million endowment from Yum! Brands, demonstrating Yum!’s commitment to investing in the next generation of franchise business leaders. The program aims to prepare talented individuals for thriving careers in franchising, business and leadership.

“It’s truly a pleasure to support these amazing students from Yum! Brands’ home state of Kentucky,” said Kat Abner, senior manager, community impact for Yum! Brands. “It is so rewarding to continue working with the University of Louisville on innovative ways to provide a best-in-class education to those interested in a career in franchising. The industry’s future leaders are being trained today at the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence.”

The is a cohort experience that builds a strong community of changemakers driven to make a difference on campus and beyond. As part of the program, each scholar will receive $1,000 per semester for up to eight semesters and engage in franchising education and community designed to inspire them to explore careers and leadership in the franchise industry. Each year, the program plans to add five students from the incoming freshman class.

Yum! Scholars are selected for academic potential along with how they live out the four core values that reflect the spirit of the Yum! Scholars Program:

• Drive: Demonstrate grit and determination by rising above obstacles and turning challenges into opportunities for growth.
• Leadership: Lead with integrity, courage and empathy – taking initiative and inspiring positive momentum in every endeavor.
• Belonging: Respect and value the unique experiences of others, fostering an environment where all people and voices are welcome.
• Impact: Strive to make meaningful contributions that create lasting, positive change on campus, in communities and beyond.

Yum! Scholars will have exclusive opportunities to engage with franchise industry professionals to help build their professional network and provide real-world franchising insights as part of the scholars’ community, while pursuing the degree of their choice.

“These students will be prepared to become leaders in the franchising industry,” said Kathleen Gosser, director of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence. “Franchising provides a tremendous entrepreneurial opportunity for students who are driven and focused. This program will help boost their success and accelerate their careers.”

Yum! Scholars must be residents of Kentucky or a state covered by UofL’s tuition reciprocity agreements and must complete at least one of four designated undergraduate online courses in franchise management during their junior or senior year. To remain eligible, scholars must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and participate in program events, which include workshops, networking and professional development. Current high school seniors are encouraged to to be part of the 2026 cohort by Sunday, Dec. 15.

The 2025 Yum! Scholars

• Brian Alonso, Sophomore, Business Admin
• Mohammed Alyaserri, Junior, CIS
• Mateo Barrientos, Junior, Public Health
• Maycee Decker, Junior, Biology
• Ezra Foote, Sophomore, Political Science
• Kyleigh Greenwell, Sophomore, Accountancy
• TaRon Smith, Junior, Neuroscience
• Key’Shawn Stoner, Sophomore, Business Admin
• Ethan Walker, Junior, Business Admin
• Trinity Ziakas, Sophomore, Psychology