Health Outcomes Research

AWARD AIMS

The goal of the program is to assist in the candidate’s predoctoral training.

• To provide stipend support to promising students during advanced stages of training and thesis research in health outcomes research.
• To support the career development of scientists prepared to engage in health outcomes research during their predoctoral training.
• Predoctoral fellowships should not be seen as a way to fund the candidate’s principal investigator’s currently funded research project.

 

ELIGIBILITY

• Students just beginning graduate school should not apply.
• Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) attending U.S. schools of medicine, pharmacy, public health, nursing, and dentistry are eligible for this award.
• A candidate enrolled in an MD/PhD program should not be taking required clinical coursework or clerkships while the fellowship is active.
• The department chair or graduate officer is expected to verify the student’s doctoral candidacy.
• Eligible candidates will have completed most of their pre-thesis requirements (at least two years of coursework) and be engaged in thesis research as PhD candidates by the time the award is activated.
• Predoctoral Fellowships are designed for students who expect to complete their PhD requirements in two years or less from the time the fellowship begins.
• Award activation may be as early as July 1, 2022 or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including December 1, 2022.
• Fellows are expected to devote full time (including summers) to their research.
• Predoctoral Fellowships should not be seen as a way to fund the principal investigator’s currently funded research project.
• If multiple applicants from the same lab are submitting proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities. They may not be duplicative. We will not consider multiple applications for the same or similar efforts on the same project. This pertains to submissions from all three categories of our programs within Health Outcomes Research. The applications will be disqualified.

FUNDING

• This award provides $25,000 in stipend support year for 12, 18 or 24 months. In order to be eligible for funding beyond 12 months, applicants must provide the PhRMA Foundation with a satisfactory progress report upon completion of the first ten months of funding. In addition, applicants must provide a letter from their thesis adviser, confirming that satisfactory progress is being made.
• This award 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 predoctoral fellowships it currently offers. (Please upload a “Stipend Justification” explaining whether the stipend is to be supplemented and the amount.)
• Within the $25,000 fellowship award, up to $1,000 per year may be used for incidentals directly associated with thesis research preparation (e.g., secretarial help, artwork, books, etc.)
• The program provides no other subsidies (e.g., travel, tuition, fringe benefits, etc.)
• PhRMA Foundation funds may not be used for fringe benefits or indirect costs to the institution.
• Funding is conditional upon recipient’s continued employment with the institution in the Predoctoral Fellowship program which will be assessed on a quarterly basis prior to payment. Recipient is required to notify the PhRMA Foundation if they leave the institution or if their Fellowship ends during the award period.
• Awards may be activated beginning July 1, 2022 or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including December 1, 2022.
• 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 non-transferable.
• Any changes to the proposed project must be approved by the PhRMA Foundation.

Predoctoral Fellowship in Health Outcomes Research.

Application deadline for all materials (applications and letters of support) is February 10, 2022 @ 11:59 PM EST.

To start an application, go to the proposalCENTRAL website at https://proposalcentral.com/. If you are a new user of proposalCENTRAL, follow the “CREATE AN ACCOUNT NOW” link under “Need an Account?” and complete the registration process. If you are already a registered user, login at https://proposalcentral.com/ with your username and password. If you have forgotten your password, click the “Forgot your Password?” link.

Once you are logged in, please click the “Professional Profile” tab at the top and complete steps 1-10 or update with current information. Your name, degrees, Position/Title, Academic Rank, Department and address will be pulled from this page in proposalCENTRAL.

To start an application, select the “Grant Opportunities” tab and a list of applications will be displayed. Find “PhRMA Foundation” and click the Apply Now link next to the Predoctoral Fellowship in Health Outcomes Research to create your Application.

We look forward to receiving your application. Items needed:

1. Applicant Biosketch (should be NIH or NSF format)

2. 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).

3. Project Title (maximum of 200 characters – entered directly into ProposalCENTRAL)

4. Project Summary / Abstract (maximum of 1,000 characters – entered directly into ProposalCENTRAL)

5. Thesis Project Description

The student must add an introductory page to their project description addressing the following questions. The answer to each question may not exceed two sentences.

1. How will this project advance the methods used in the field of health outcomes research?
2. What is the key challenge for this topic and how will your proposal address it?
3. How will the completion of your project bring value to society?
4. Are appropriate measures in place to assure compliance with patient privacy and security? Please explain.

The student’s detailed description of the thesis project should be written by the applicant and include 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 introductory page and bibliography) should not exceed six single-spaced pages.

The advisory review committee will review and evaluate health outcomes research proposals that are directly or indirectly related to pharmaceutical interventions.

Applicants should use a format similar to the format specified for grants submitted to the National Institutes of Health. Required type specifications: U.S. letter size 8.5” x 11” / .5” margin / 12-point font (figures may be provided in a smaller font). Submissions that do not meet the specified guidelines for proposal preparation will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding.

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.

6. Budget/Stipend

This award is to be used for your stipend (up to $1,000 per year may be used for incidentals directly associated with your thesis preparation). Please enter your anticipated start and end date. If your institution is supplementing the award in order to be consistent with other predoctoral fellowships it offers, please attach a “stipend justification” providing details.

7. References
Please note that the system will not accept your application unless the letters of support from your references have been successfully uploaded. The PhRMA Foundation requires a minimum of three (3) and maximum of five (5) letters of support.

You are required to submit contact information for the following personnel:

• Department Chair(a.k.a. program director, center director, institute director, etc.)
• Thesis Adviser (If the department chair is also your thesis advisor, only enter their information once. Be sure to ask them to address the requested information from both perspectives as listed below.)
• General Reference(s) (1-3) who are familiar with you and your scientific career

Once you add their name and contact information to your application, an auto-generated email will be forwarded to them. The email will include instructions as to what they should address in their letter of support and it will provide a personalized hyperlink where they should upload their letter. Letters of support should be uploaded before February 10, 2022.

Please note that the system will not accept your application unless the letters of support from your references have been successfully uploaded.

We suggest you inform your references in advance of what items should be addressed in their letter of support. See below:

Department Chair (a.k.a. program director, center director, institute director, etc.) should provide:

• Contact information.
• The department chair’s letter of support is expected to verify the applicant’s doctoral candidacy. If it’s pending, please note the anticipated date of doctoral candidacy.
• Assessment of applicant and proposed research, and confirmation that the department provides training in health outcomes research. See the section titled “Award Aims” to read our definition of health outcomes research.
• If your 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.

Thesis Adviser should provide:

• Contact information and a brief biographical sketch (combine biosketch with the letter so one PDF is being uploaded)
• Assessment of the applicant and proposed research as well as confirm the applicant’s doctoral candidacy. If it’s pending, please note the anticipated date of doctoral candidacy.
• Information on the training program
• Thesis Adviser’s history of training / mentoring and a description of the facilities
• Additional financial support that will be available to the candidate
• How many trainees will be supervised during the candidate’s training period
• List of research support, including current and pending grants, total amounts and duration. Because the fellowship grants no research funds, this information is necessary in order to enable further perspective on evaluating the resources available for thesis research.
• Information to demonstrate the department’s focus on the discipline, and specifically state that the department is responsible for the training at the institution.
• The Thesis Advisor must upload a detailed training plan as a separate document when submitting their letter of support. (Although the training plan is a separate document, it should be combined with their letter of support into one document for uploading into the application portal.)

General reference(s) should provide:

• Contact information
• Assessment of the applicant
• General references who are connected to an applicant’s project should explain their roles and responsibilities regarding the project.

REMEMBER to begin your application early so your references have ample time to meet the February 10th deadline.

It is your responsibility that these letters are uploaded. The application portal will permit you to review your application and the status of your letters of support before your final submission. Be sure to check it frequently and do not wait until the last minute.

The application portal will not permit the application to be submitted until the letters of support have been uploaded.

Application deadline is February 10, 2022 @ 11:59 EDT. Late submissions will not be accepted.

 

2022 Health Outcomes Research Brochure

The deadline to submit an application including all letters of support (to be uploaded by the authors) is deadline is February 10, 2022 @ 11:59 PM EST.