Program

The fellowship is offered to medical or dental students who have substantial interests in research and teaching careers in pharmacology - clinical pharmacology and who are willing to spend full-time in a specific research effort within a pharmacology or clinical pharmacology unit. Fellowships are available for a minimum period of six months or any period of time up to 24 months with a maximum stipend of $18,000. The commitment must be full-time. Awards will begin on July 1, 2010. The student may undertake this investigative effort at their own school or at another institution.

The principal aim of this program is to generate interest in research careers in pharmacology, including clinical pharmacology, among medical and dental students Students who are not already in a training sequence leading to a research career or students already in an M.D./Ph.D. program for whom additional financial support is appropriate are both eligible to apply. Awards will not be made to a student in a M.D./Ph.D. program who is entering the last 2 years of medical school.

Depending on the particular medical school curriculum and the length of the fellowship, the student may have to interrupt his scholastic training to enable the full-time requirement of the program to be satisfied.

Eligibility

A candidate must be enrolled in a United States medical/dental school and have finished at least one year of the school curriculum. Priority consideration will be given to those candidates who project strong commitments to careers in the field of clinical pharmacology. The applicant must be sponsored by the pharmacology or clinical pharmacology program in which the investigative project is to be undertaken. The sponsoring unit must have a demonstrated commitment to training in the fields of pharmacology or clinical pharmacology. As clinical pharmacology is a part of the broad field of pharmacology, the specific research project conducted during the tenure of the fellowship may be in any area of pharmacology.

Applications must be submitted by an accredited U.S. school, and all applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Applications are to be submitted via the Foundation website and received by February 1, 2010. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline date.

Purpose

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation, Inc. recognizes the important need for early identification of medical/dental students interested in pharmacology - clinical pharmacology. If the important discipline of pharmacology, and this includes clinical pharmacology, is to have an essential influx of clinically-trained personnel in future years, it is vital that there be some means of promoting and identifying career interests in these areas.

Although pharmacology - clinical pharmacology, like any other highly-specialized field of medicine, is not likely to attract large numbers of students, provision must be made now to insure that pharmacology will recruit, with some regularity, an appropriate number of students to careers in the study of drugs and therapeutics. The medically trained pharmacologist has always given this discipline a desirable balance of interaction between laboratory and clinical sciences. Applications, however good, which do not meet the aims of the program will be disapproved.

Award

The program offers funding of up to $1,500 per month. It is expected that the funds will be distributed to the fellow in regular payments over the period of the fellowship by the recipient school. The funds may be used towards the stipend, tuition or affiliated fees for the fellow. Fellowships are available for a minimum period of six months or any period of time up to 24 months. However, if the student's award period is 24 months, the maximum stipend is still $18,000. Once an individual has received a Medical Student Fellowship, that individual may not reapply.

There are no indirect costs provided to the institution nor may any of the funds be used for this purpose. The fellowship is made to the institution on behalf of the student and the institution must agree to administer the funds. These funds are not transferrable.

The following information wil be requested on your application.

1.  Registration Information will include basic contact information as well as information on your citizenship.  All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.  Applications must be submitted by an accredited U.S. school.

2.  An Extended Letter which includes the following information. Candidate's name, personal data, education, and training. A curriculum vitae, information regarding prior research experience and a bibliography, if available. The name of the immediate supervisor of the student must be stated and his relation to the project indicated. The supervisor's curriculum vitae and bibliography are to be submitted in NIH format/PHS 398. Please limit this document to no more than 3 pages.

3.  A description of the proposed research, including the background, aims, methods, significance and facilities available. This description should be relatively direct, should include only the most pertinent references, and should focus primarily on the aspect of the program of research in which the applicant will be involved. The other principals involved in the project and their time allocated to the project must also be listed. Please type, single space, font size 12 point or larger and number pages. This portion should be 5 pages not including the bibliography. For clarity, if abbreviations or initials are used in the plan, the first use of the abbreviation or initials should be followed by the full name or explanation. The candidate must state how the fellowship will assist them in making a choice on the type of career in pharmacology or clinical pharmacology they will pursue. This letter should outline the chronology of the student's medical/dental education indicating exactly where in the process from matriculation to graduation the fellowship falls. Please state how this award will affect your career in the future. The candidate should list any other support they are receiving.