Dr. Anjaneyulu Kowluru, distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and his wife, Dr. Renu Kowluru, professor and director of translational research at the Wayne State School of Medicine, have made a significant investment in student success, diversity and inclusion, donating $100,000 to establish the Anjan and Renu Kowluru Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship will assist undergraduate students of all majors with financial need and hopes to attract applicants who have demonstrated an interest in equality, diversity and social justice.

“We've been with Wayne State for over 26 years. This university has given us a very good platform to accomplish what we wanted to in our professional careers, and now it's time to pay it forward,” Dr. Anjan Kowluru said. “This scholarship is something that we've been thinking of doing for a very long time.”

“We are grateful for the scholarship dollars this endowment provides,” said Donyale Griffin Padgett, Ph.D., interim vice provost for inclusive excellence. “Through this funding, Drs. Anjan and Renu Kowluru are helping students who live out the values of equality, diversity and social justice in their pursuit of education. That is inclusive excellence, and their generosity represents the best of Wayne State University.”

The scholarship reflects just one of the many ways the Kowlurus have invested in student success throughout their three decades at Wayne State.

“Financial support is only a part of the things that we have been able to provide,” Dr. Anjan Kowluru said. “Between both of us, we have had the good fortune to mentor more than 200 investigators at different levels. That time is also an investment, and one that has had great results — our mentees have gone on to strong careers in research, academia and elsewhere.”

“Anjan is an outstanding scientist, mentor and scholar,” said WSU Applebaum Dean Brian Cummings, Ph.D. “He has never hesitated to support Wayne State University with his time and talent. This latest generosity is just another example of his dedication to Wayne State and its students.”

Wayne State School of Medicine Dean Wael Sakr, M.D., emphasized Dr. Renu Kowluru’s impact on research.

“Innovative research is a core component of the School of Medicine and Dr. Kowluru has been a prolific researcher whose contributions to transformational ophthalmic research have greatly accelerated our understanding of diabetic retinopathy,” Dr. Sakr said. “Beyond that, she has also been an inspiring mentor to students, and the scholarship she and her husband have established will help undergraduate students go on to lead impactful careers and discoveries in the health sciences.”

Persistent involvement and innovation

Since their arrival to Wayne State in the late 1990s, the Kowlurus have only increased their involvement on campus and in the diabetes research community.

Anjan is a senior research career scientist at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, where he is chief of the Translational Diabetes Research Laboratory. He has dedicated his career to researching the pathophysiology of diabetes, and published more than 190 peer-reviewed articles, including many co-authored with Renu. Several of their studies have received National Institutes of Health and Department of Veterans Affairs grants.

Dr. Renu Kowluru’s research focus is diabetic retinopathy (DR), the leading cause of acquired blindness in working-age adults. She has co-directed a course on DR during the annual meetings of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and serves on the ARVO Board of Governors. Recently she has served on National Institute’s Eye Advisory Council and co-chaired their "From Genes to Disease Mechanisms" strategic planning committee.

Drs. Anjan and Renu Kowluru recently led a matching gift campaign for AVRO which inspired an additional $25,000 in donations. Their leadership and their lifelong dedication of time and talent has made a mark at Wayne State and beyond. Their careers have reinforced their core belief that despite whatever life throws at you, you must remain determined.

“There will always be some kind of forces that act against you,” Dr. Anjan Kowluru said. “But if you work hard, stay focused and keep your hopes high, good things will happen and you'll get whatever you worked hard for.”

“Never give up,” Dr. Renu Kowluru added. 

Anjan explains that this is where the scholarship comes in, because it gives students the chance to focus on their studies and their career rather than how they pay for their education.

“Nothing should prevent or preclude anybody from getting to wherever they want to go as long as they're focused with a lot of hope.”

Accelerating mobility

Among Michigan’s public universities, Wayne State serves the highest percentage of students who qualify for the Federal Pell Grant Program, which provides need-based grants to America’s lowest-income undergraduates. Approximately 44% of Wayne State students receive Pell Grants, but the maximum Pell Grant covers less than half of WSU tuition. The Kowluru’s scholarship and others like it provide additional aid for these deserving students.

Successfully earning a Wayne State degree takes students to a different place than where they started and ignites a legacy of future impact for generations. Wayne State is ranked in the top tier of U.S. higher education institutions by Third Way, a nonprofit public policy think tank, and is the only Michigan top-tier research university to make their list. Wayne State is proudly ranked in the top 14% of national institutions for social mobility by U.S. News & World Report.

To keep this momentum going by making a gift to accelerate student mobility, please visit giving.wayne.edu.