Application Deadline: February 1, 2018
Health Outcomes research spans a broad spectrum of issues related to health-care delivery, from studies evaluating effectiveness of a pharmaceutical intervention, to the impact of reimbursement policies on outcomes of care. It also ranges from the development and use of tools to perform patient-based assessments to analyses of ways in which results of outcomes research are disseminated to providers or consumers to encourage behavior change.
Outcomes research incorporates a variety of methods from different disciplines. The application of outcomes research principles in evaluating the design, delivery, and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals includes but isn’t limited to the following general areas:
Pharmacoeconomics
Pharmacoeconomics evaluates behavior of individuals, organizations, and markets concerning use of pharmaceutical products, services, and programs. The discipline frequently focuses on costs (inputs) and consequences (outcomes) of pharmaceutical use.
Patient Reported Outcomes
Patient Reported Outcomes focuses on the value assigned to duration of life as modified by the impairment of physical, social, and psychological functional states, perceptions, and opportunities influenced by disease, injury, treatment, or policy. In this context, the field is also known as health-related quality of life.
Other types of analyses and terminology under the umbrella of health outcomes are listed below:
- Burden of Disease
- Comparative Effectiveness Research
- Patient Preferences
- Patient Centered Outcomes Research
- Compliance/Adherence
- Cost–Consequences Analysis
- Cost–Benefit Analysis
- Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
- Cost–Utility Analysis
- Health Outcomes Research
- Health-Related Quality of Life
- Health Services Research
- Health Technology Assessment
- Patient Satisfaction
Aims
- To provide stipend support to promising students during advanced stages of training and thesis research.
- To support the career development of scientists prepared to engage in health outcomes research.
Eligibility & Requirements
- Applications must be submitted by an accredited U.S. college or university.
- This program supports full-time, in-residence students who will have completed most of their pre-thesis requirements (at least two years of study) and be engaged in thesis research as Ph.D. candidates by the time the award is active.
- All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
[1] Students beginning graduate school should not apply. A candidate enrolled in an M.D./Ph.D. program should not be taking required clinical coursework or clerkships while the fellowship is active.
[2] An individual may not simultaneously hold or interrupt another fellowship providing stipend support while the PhRMA Foundation fellowship is active.
- This award provides $25,000 in stipend support per year for one or two years.
- Payments will be made directly to the university on a quarterly basis.
- $1,000 per year may be used for incidentals directly associated with the thesis research preparation (i.e. secretarial help, artwork, books, etc.)
- The program provides no other subsidies (travel, tuition, fringe benefit costs, etc.).
- PhRMA Foundation funds may not be used for indirect costs to the university.
- These funds are not transferable.
- A financial report from the university will be required at the conclusion of each year of the fellowship.
Pre Doctoral Fellowship Application Checklist
Please make a copy of this list to reference during the application process, as incomplete applications will not be considered.
1. General Registration Information
2. Applicant CV or Biosketch
3. 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 (12-point font).
4. Thesis Project Description
The student’s detailed description of the thesis project, including objectives, rationale, methods of approach, preliminary results (if any exist), and a bibliography of major references. The first use of any abbreviation or acronym should be preceded by the full name or description. This statement (not including the bibliography) should not exceed six single-spaced pages (12-point font). Please use a format similar to the format specified for grants submitted to the National Institutes of Health. This proposal should be written by the applicant and submission of this document will serve as verification that it has been written by the student.
5. Research Abstract
Submit a titled abstract of approximately 200 words concerning your proposed research plan.
6. Transcripts
Unofficial copies should be scanned and uploaded along with the application. Arrange to have official hard copies sent to the PhRMA Foundation at 950 F Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20004 by the deadline.
Without these transcripts, the application will be considered incomplete. Do not upload secure PDFs, as our reviewers will be unable to open the attachments.
7. GRE Results
Unofficial copies should be scanned and uploaded with the application. Arrange for official copies to be sent to the PhRMA Foundation by the deadline.The PhRMA Foundation’s institutional code is 5967.
We are aware that official copies are not available after five years. If we have questions regarding your scores, you will be contacted.
8. Thesis Advisor Information and Letter of Reference
- The thesis advisor should provide contact information and a biosketch.
- The reference letter should include an assessment of the applicant, the proposed research, and the training program.
- The thesis advisor should provide his or her history of training/mentoring and a description of the facilities and financial support that will be available to the candidate.
- List the number of other trainees who will be supervised during the candidate’s training period. Provide a list of research support, including current grants, pending applications, total amounts involved, and the duration. (Because the fellowship grants no research funds, this information is necessary to provide further perspective on the resources available for thesis research.
- Demonstrate the department’s focus on the discipline, and specifically state that your department is responsible for the pertinent discipline’s training at your institution.
9. Department Chair Information and Letter of Reference
- The head of the administrative unit in which the applicant reports, e.g. department chair, program director, center director, institute director, etc. should provide contact information.
This reference letter should include an assessment of the applicant and proposed research. Certify that the applicant is a full-time, in-residence Ph.D. candidate, and provide an estimate of when the candidate will complete the requirements for his or her Ph.D. - Indicate the level of support that will be provided to this candidate by the department. Include any information on the candidate’s current source of support and pending applications for stipend support. If none are pending, please state this.
- If the department has a training grant, please note if it is limited to a specific area and the area on which the grant focuses. Indicate how many graduate students are in the department and how many are supported by the training grant.
10. Additional Letter
A reference letter from an individual other than the thesis advisor, who is knowledgeable about the candidate’s scientific skills, must comment on the candidate’s potential for a career in research.
Letters and third-party materials should not be uploaded by the applicant.
The application process will request contact information, including an email address, for your chair, thesis advisor, and additional reference.
These individuals will receive a prompt from the application system with instructions for uploading their document(s), which will be appended to the application.
Based on our policy, we do not provide written reviews.
