Interested in pursuing a career in medical research? Whether you’re an undergraduate, in medical school, or an experienced scientist, these fellowships would give you valuable hands-on experience in your field of study at world-renowned institutions such as the Mayo Clinic and Columbia University. The fellowships are listed according to the amount experience each requires, beginning with those for undergraduates. If one of them catches your interest, be sure to mark it to your ProFellow account!
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Each year, approximately 130 undergraduate students from around the U.S. come to Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, MN, to work beside both young and established scientists on a broad range of biomedical research questions. A limited number of fellowships are also available at the Mayo Clinic campuses in Jacksonville, FL, and Scottsdale, AZ. Candidates must be students currently in your sophomore or junior year at a U.S. university and seriously considering a biomedical research career as a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. (international students are eligible). The award is $5,000 for 10 weeks.
Summer Public Health Scholars Program
The Summer Public Health Scholars Program (SPHSP) is a 10-week summer program for undergraduate students to increase interest in and knowledge of public health and biomedical science careers. This is a rigorous program which includes Public Health course work at Columbia University; hands-on field experience and immersion in a diverse, economically disadvantaged urban environment; seminars and lectures with public health leaders; and mentoring by faculty members. Accepted students receive a stipend, housing, travel and meals. The program is designed for undergraduates in their sophomore or junior year and recent baccalaureate degree students.
PostBaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (Postbac IRTA/CRTA)
The NIH Postbac IRTA program provides recent college graduates who are planning to apply to graduate or professional (medical/dental/pharmacy) school an opportunity to spend one or two years performing full-time research at the NIH. Postbac IRTAs/CRTAs work side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. Applicants must be college graduates who received their bachelor’s degrees less than two years prior to the date they begin the program. The stipends for trainees are adjusted yearly. Applications are accepted year round.
Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program
The Whitaker Program is a funding opportunity for emerging U.S. leaders in biomedical engineering to build collaborative ties with individuals and institutions overseas. The program is for U.S.-based biomedical engineers who are graduating seniors, graduate students, post-docs or early-career professionals. Fellows and Scholars can conduct academic or scientific research in a university or laboratory, pursue coursework, or intern at a policy institute, or industrial or non-profit setting. Benefits include maintenance allowance, airfare, accident and sickness insurance, and partial tuition reimbursement (Fellows only).
HHMI Medical Research Fellows Program
HHMI offers two medical research fellowship programs for medical, dental, and veterinary students. HHMI offers a year-long program that supports one year of full-time biomedical research training and a summer program that provides an 8-10 week research experience Fellows conduct research at an academic or nonprofit institution in the United States, except the National Institutes of Health, at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, or at the KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH) in Durban, South Africa.
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship
The purpose of the Kirschstein-NRSA predoctoral fellowship (F31) award is to enable promising predoctoral students to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. Applicants for the F31 must be candidates for the PhD degree and have identified a dissertation research project and sponsor(s). The fellowship may provide up to five years (typically 2-3 years) of support for research training which leads to the PhD or equivalent research degree, the combined MD/PhD degree, or another formally combined professional degree and research doctoral degree in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences.
National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program
The NBBTP offers two-year Masters and post-doctoral fellowships at the NIH Bethesda Campus providing a rare opportunity to receive professional training in biosafety and biocontainment at one of the foremost biomedical research centers in the world. Fellowships provide an extraordinary learning environment and rigorous program including academic training, experiential learning, mentorship, developmental assignments, and applied occupational safety and health research opportunities. NBBTP Fellows do not engage in any primary patient care activities. Fellowships are funded and offered in one year increments. Applicants must have a Masters or be a post-graduate with academic degree(s) in microbiology, public health, medicine (human or veterinary), or other allied sciences (industrial hygiene, engineering, etc.).
AAI Public Policy Fellows Program (PPFP)
The AAI Public Policy Fellows Program (PPFP) is a one-year program that provides postdoctoral fellows and other junior scientists who are committed to a career in biomedical research with the opportunity to learn about and participate in the public policy and legislative activities of AAI. Up to 10 Fellows may participate annually. Candidates must have received their Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent within the previous 10 years in immunology or a related field, be a member in good standing of AAI, and be committed to a career in biomedical research.
Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowships support early-career research training in all basic biomedical sciences. Candidates who hold or are in the final stages of obtaining a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree and are seeking beginning postdoctoral training in basic biomedical research are eligible to apply for a fellowship. The Foundation accepts applications from candidates who have no more than 1 year of postdoctoral research experience and who have received their PhD in the last 2 years. The fellowship is for 3 years and starts fellows with a stipend of $54,000 a year plus additional research allowances.
Judith Graham Pool Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
JGP Postdoctoral Research Fellowships provide research support for up to two years. Permissible research topics include pre-clinical or basic science research on the biochemical, genetic or hematologic aspects of hemophilia or von Willebrand disease. Other topics might focus on liver disease, HIV/AIDS, orthopedics, women’s health issues, psychosocial or other therapeutic modalities as they pertain to bleeding disorders. Candidates must have completed doctoral training and apply for the JGP fellowship award from a doctoral, postdoctoral, internship or residency training program. U.S. citizenship is not required.
Training in Education and Critical Research Skills (TEACRS) Program
The Training in Education and Critical Research Skills (TEACRS) Program at Tufts University provides talented postdoctoral trainees with the career skills needed to succeed in academic biomedical research. TEACRS fellows are provided with up to four years of support and a wealth of resources to better prepare them as future faculty. They spend 75% of their time in research, with the remaining time devoted to teaching and career development activities. An applicant must have no more than 2 years of prior postdoctoral experience.
Sir Henry Dale Fellowship
This fellowship is for outstanding post-doctoral scientists wishing to build their own UK-based, independent research career addressing an important biomedical question. Grants support research ranging from the molecules and cells vital to life and their role in the global spread of disease, to clinical and public health research seeking to improve the quality of healthcare. It can be based in the laboratory, clinic or field, and may involve experimental or theoretical approaches. PhDs with significant postdoctoral research experience are invited to apply.
PopTech Science Fellows
The PopTech Science Fellows program is a unique leadership development opportunity designed to help high potential working scientists become more effective communicators, collaborators and leaders both within and beyond the traditional bounds of academia. Each year, PopTech selects 10-12 Fellows drawn from many different research fields, from economics and planetary science to renewable energy and biomedical research. The Fellows are convened by PopTech for a special training program and participate in and give short presentations at the PopTech annual conference. The nomination process is by invitation only.
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