Post Doctoral Fellowships provide $60,000 per year in research support. (Pictured: Maureen Carey, PhD, University of Virginia, 2018.)
KEY DETAILS
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine
This award supports individuals engaged in multidisciplinary/collaborative research training programs that will extend their credentials in Translational Medicine.
Application deadline: February 3, 2020 @ 11:59 PM EST. (Application and reference letters of support are due by the deadline.)
Click HERE to apply.
Award notification is April 15, 2020.
Eligibility Eligible candidates (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) will have doctoral degrees, e.g., PhD, D.Sc, D.Eng, MD, and seek to further develop and refine their skills and understanding of Translational Medicine through postdoctoral training. Applicants must write and submit a research plan and provide the mentor’s research record, as well as a description of how the mentoring experience will enhance the applicant’s career development in Translational Medicine. A key component of Translational Medicine involves collaborative programs that span non-clinical and clinical domains, potentially involving multiple laboratories, advisers, and institutions.
Funding: $60,000 per year, up to two years.
This award is intended solely as a stipend and may not be used otherwise. If necessary, the institution may supplement the award to a level that is consistent with other postdoctoral fellowships it offers.
Important: Please click on topics in blue, above, to learn the full details about this award.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Translational medicine is a discipline focused on bridging discoveries in experimental and computational research to their application in clinical practice. To be successful, this requires working with clinicians to first identify critical unmet clinical needs. Examples of research areas include molecular and cellular biology, pathophysiology, systems biology, bioinformatics, modeling and simulation, and other quantitative sciences that connect basic biological concepts to unmet medical needs. Clinical observation should serve as the basis for hypothesis generation to further basic research and to efficiently advance the product of such research to patients.
The goal of the PhRMA Foundation’s Translational Medicine Program is to promote the development of an integrative approach towards clinical needs in diagnosis, treatment and prevention using both experimental and computational methods. The Foundation believes that, towards this goal, it is critical that researchers collaborate with clinicians to identify critical unmet clinical needs. This can lead to an enhanced understanding of human biological and disease processes but requires a strong translational component that is bi-directional, i.e. starting from bedside to bench. This program will support such approaches to Translational Medicine. Translational Medicine awards will advance training and support career development of scientists engaged in research that significantly addresses specific clinician-defined problems and integrates innovative technologies with advanced biological, chemical, and pharmacological sciences and engineering methodologies in areas including:
- Genetics (Molecular, Pharmaco-, Population, Medical)
- Genomics (Functional, Structural, Toxico-, Pharmaco-, Comparative)
- Systems (Biology and Pharmacology)
- Pathways and Networks
- Integrative Biology
- Modeling and Simulation
- Target Identification and Validation
- Biomarker Discovery and Validation
- Vaccine Development
- Molecular Epidemiology
- Imaging
- Disease Modeling
Program Priorities
- Emphasis will be placed on identification of clinician-defined unmet clinical needs and the development of new experimental and computational approaches and technologies that facilitate the translation of research results into the elucidation and understanding of human biological and disease processes that focus on producing solutions.
- Preferences will be given to those applicants whose research identifies unmet clinical need and combines novel experimental and computational methods together with actual clinical validation.
- For applications to be considered, the proposal must contain evidence of collaboration across clinical:non-clinical interface and not solely apply experimental and computational methodologies to data generation and analysis without clinical validation.
- The use of non-human model systems, that do not involve human specimens, data or patients, must be justified in terms of their relationship to human biology and disease, specifying both limitations and advantages, and the results of such studies are required to involve clinical testing in humans in support of the model.
Aims
- To support individuals engaged in multidisciplinary/collaborative research training programs that will extend their credentials in Translational Medicine.
- To provide stipend support for individuals preparing to engage in research that will bridge the gap between clinical need and research directed towards addressing these needs.
- To support research that can readily translate into positively impacting patients and physicians.
Eligibility & Requirements
- Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must have a firm commitment from a sponsor (a.k.a. mentor) at an accredited U.S. university or research institution.
- Applicants must hold a PhD, DSc, Deng, or MD degree, and seek to further develop and refine their skills and understanding of Translational Medicine through postdoctoral training.
- Applicants must write and submit a research plan and provide the mentor’s research record, as well as a description of how the mentoring experience will enhance the applicant’s career development in Translational Medicine. A key component of Translational Medicine involves collaborative programs that span non-clinical and clinical domains, potentially involving multiple laboratories, advisers, and institutions.
- Applicants are encouraged to apply at the earliest point possible in their post-doctoral research.
FUNDING
- This award is two years and provides $60,000 in stipend support per year.(*)
- The fellowship provides no other subsidies (travel, tuition, fringe benefit costs, etc.).
- PhRMA Foundation funds may not be used for indirect costs to the university.
- Awards may be activated beginning July 1, 2020 or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including December 1, 2020.
- Payments will be made directly to the university on a quarterly basis.
- An individual may not simultaneously hold or interrupt any other fellowship providing stipend support while the PhRMA Foundation fellowship is active.
- (*) The second year of funding is based upon a receiving a satisfactory progress report from the applicant upon completion of the first ten months of funding.
- A financial report will be required upon completion of the first twelve months of funding.
- A final progress report and financial report will be required at the conclusion of the fellowship.
- Unspent funds are to be returned to the PhRMA Foundation.
- These funds are traditionally non-transferable. However, consideration funds may be considered transferable if the training program requires the postdoctoral candidate to be formally trained at a collaborating institution where such a transfer would be required and can be documented. The PhRMA Foundation and scientific review committee reserve the right to approve or deny such a request.
Post Doctoral Fellowship Application Checklist
- General Registration Information
- Applicant CV or Biosketch
- Extended Letter
This letter is an opportunity to tell us who you are and to describe your career and future plans. Include a synopsis of your career, your professional interests, and your desired career path. The letter should not exceed two single-spaced pages (U.S. letter size 8.5” x 11” / 12-point font / .5” margin).
Note: In order to receive a PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine, you must hold a PhD, DSc, Deng, or MD degree. if you do not hold one at the time of application submission, please state in your extended letter when you expect to receive it as it must be received by the time funding begins.
- Research Plan (^)
The applicant must prepare a comprehensive statement, not to exceed eight single-spaced pages (U.S. letter size 8.5” x 11” / 12-point font / .5” margin), of the plans for research, education, and training in the selected discipline. Applicants should use a format similar to the format specified for grants submitted to the National Institutes of Health, including a description of the objective(s), the rationale, methods of approach, and a bibliography of major references (bibliographies are not included in the page limit). Preliminary results, if any, should also be included. A project timeline is suggested. The first use of any abbreviation or acronym should be preceded by the full name or description or included in a footnote. The Advisory Committee will review each application to assess the quality of the proposed research, as well as the proposed education and training. Therefore, documentation stating proper guidance and departmental support will be available to ensure training in the techniques and principles of the area is essential. The proposal must document the approval of all departments in which the candidate will train via letters from chairs or mentors in these departments, or from appropriate personnel if the proposal includes an experiential rotation in an industrial research laboratory.
- Research Abstract
Submit a titled abstract of approximately 200 words concerning your proposed research plan.
- Transcripts
Unofficial copies of graduate transcripts should be scanned and uploaded along with the application.
- Budget
Provide a budget and list any other funding this project receives. If further clarification is needed, please submit a Budget Justification.
- References
Applicant should upload contact information for each reference (at least three people). The system will auto generate an email asking him/her to provide a letter of support by February 3, 2020 @ 11:59 PM EST.
All departments in which the candidate will train should be committed to this training and documented via letters from thesis advisor and/or department chair in these departments, or from appropriate personnel if the proposal includes an experimental rotation in an industrial research laboratory.
Department Chair
Applicant should upload contact information for the head of the administrative unit in which the applicant reports, e.g. department chair, program director, center director, institute director, etc. His/her reference letter should include an assessment of the applicant and proposed research as well as confirming the department is responsible for the training in this discipline.
Sponsor / Mentor
The sponsor / mentor should provide contact information, a biosketch, and a letter of recommendation. The letter should include an assessment of the candidate and proposed research. They must describe how the multidisciplinary goals of the proposed work will be accomplished and provide assurance that key collaborating mentors endorse and are willing to support the proposed research(which requires their letters of commitment as well). Information on the applicant’s current source of support and any pending applications for additional stipend should also be provided. If none are pending, please state this.
Up to Three Other Individuals Familiar with Applicant’s Scientific Career (include collaborators if applicable)
- Publications
Include
(^) Submission of this plan is assurance that the research proposal has been written primarily by the applicant.
2020 Translational Medicine Brochure
Application and letters of support are due by the application deadline of February 3, 2020 @ 11:59 EST.
