London Linzsey Lyle wins 2026 Dr. Galen V. Henderson Scholarship
By Brinda F. Willis, Ph.D.
JA Contributing Writer
London Linzsey Lyle, a 23-year-old Jackson, Mississippi native, is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Dr. Galen V. Henderson Scholarship Program (New England Donor Services). Lyle currently is attending the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) School of Medicine Class of 2029. Prior to UMMC, she earned her undergraduate degree from Tougaloo College in 2024, majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Additionally, Lyle participated in the Jackson Heart Study Scholars Program and the UCLA Alzheimer’s Program as an intern.
Through this scholarship program, Lyle will expand her understanding of organ donation and transplantation while exploring the disparities impacting access to life-saving care.
She will be able to observe organ and tissue recoveries, shadow transplant surgeons and observe transplant surgery, participate in seminars, attend meetings with policymakers, and be paired with an experienced academic mentor.
Dr. Wendy White, Principal Investigator with the Jackson Heart Study Training and Education Center at Tougaloo College, said, “Dr. Galen Henderson was an extraordinary physician, researcher, mentor, and friend whose impact as a person will continue to inspire many. We are deeply grateful to his wife, Dr. Vanessa Britto-Henderson, for creating this opportunity and for her unwavering commitment to presenting and advancing his legacy. Additionally, Dr. Henderson was a native of Tunica, Mississippi.”
Dr. Vanessa Britto-Henderson, widow of the late Dr. Galen V. Henderson, states, “I’m just elated that another Mississippian is the 2026 recipient of the Galen V. Henderson Scholarship. Keeping Galen’s legacy alive is paramount and the fact that students from his home state are entering the competition and prevailing as the winner is just indicative of the caliber of people that Tougaloo College is producing. The fact that Mississippi students such as Linzsey Lyle are confident to pursue opportunities like this demonstrates a connectedness and a like-mindset that my husband had when he left Mississippi to explore the world and make his mark as a physician and humanitarian undergirded with a superior educational foundation that grounded him in all aspects of his professional life works that hinged on his personal understanding of disparities in access to disease treatments that affected patients who could not easily take advantage of transplant services.”
Lyle aspires to become a patient-focused physician and is interested in a career that combines clinical care, advocacy, and community engagement.
The Galen V. Henderson Program will enable Lyle to continue her growth by strengthening her skills in navigating difficult patient interactions, expanding her exposure to diverse medical fields to better serve the community, and further engaging in the research process, with the goal of working in a research lab as a practicing physician.
Lyle is the daughter of Lee and BJ Lyle, and has one brother named Dominque Lyle.
