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Funding Opportunities

As the need for physician scientists continue to rise along with the costs associated with the training of such individuals, APSA will post on this site a list of links to funding agencies and opportunities that are specific to physician scientists in training.  These resources will grow from a list of links to more detailed information on different ways students in this career path can better control their level of indebtedness over the course of their career.  MD/PhD students are generally able to seek funding through the traditional graduate school funding sources such as predoctoral fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.

Pre-Doctoral Level

• NIH Individual Predoctoral National Research Service Awards For M.D./Ph.D. Fellowships (F30): This fellowship will provide funding for a maximum of 6 years. NIH Guide for Reviewers of F30 Applications.
  Participating Institutes include the following:
  • National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (PA-09-232)
  • National Institute on Aging (NIA) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (PA-09-207)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (PA-09-207)
  • Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) (PA-09-207)
• NIH Predoctoral Fellowship Awards to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31): This fellowship will provide funding for a maximum of 5 years (This contributes to the 5 year limit of aggregate Kirschstein-NRSA support) and supports MD/PhD students and any other degree program that leads to a PhD.
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI) (PA-07-106)
  • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (PA-07-106)
  • National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) (PA-07-106)
  • National Eye Institute (NEI) (PA-07-106)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (PA-07-106)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute on Aging (NIA) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (PA-07-106)
  • National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) (PA-07-106)
  • Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) (PA-07-106)
• NIH Individual Predoctoral National Research Service Awards For Individual Predoctoral Fellows (F31): This fellowship will provide funding for a maximum of 5 years and is only provided during the time you are enrolled as Ph.D. candidate.
  Participating Institutes include the following:
  • National Institute on Aging (NIA) (PA-07-002)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (PA-07-002)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (PA-07-002)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (PA-07-002)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (PA-07-002)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (PA-07-002)
  • Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) (PA-07-002)
• Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship: This fellowship will support a student during the PhD years for a maximum of 3 years.
• Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs: This fellowship will support a student during the PhD years for a maximum of 3 years.
  • Breast Cancer Research Program - Predoctoral Traineeship Award
  • Prostate Cancer Research Program - Predoctoral - Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. Awards
• NIH Medical Student Scholars Program (F31): This fellowship is limited to medical students who are not pursuing a dual degree (MD/PhD) program at the time of application. This fellowship provides funding for 1-2 years of mentored research usually performed after Year 2 of medical school.
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (PA-01-099)
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Research Fellowship for Medical Students: These fellowships which are open to MD or MD/PhD students give students the opportunity to perform heavily clinical oriented research at one of the 10 approved institutions.  Each institution typically accepts in the range of 5-10 students a year with typically half of the slots going to internal students and the other half to external students.  Students typically pursue these fellowships in between their second and third year of their medical school training.  Currently the 10 participating institutions (who all have their own website) are: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Harvard Medical School, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, University of Iowa, Roy J. and Lucile A. Carver College of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Yale University School of Medicine.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students: These fellowships are typically awarded to medical students in their second year of medical school to perform a year of research before entering the third year of medical school. This fellowship awards an annual stipend of $27,000, an annual fellow's allowance of $5,500, in addition to an annual research allowance of $5,500. These fellowships are open to only medical and dental school students and not to MD/PhD students or students enrolled in other degree granting programs leading to a PhD.  Typically 40-45 awards are made each year.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) - National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Scholars Program (NIH Cloister Program): The program was established in 1985 to give outstanding students at U.S. medical schools the opportunity to receive research training at the NIH.  Research Scholars spend nine months to a year on the NIH campus, conducting basic, translational or applied biomedical research under the direct mentorship of senior NIH research scientists.  The Howard Hughes Medical Institute provides the administration and funding for the program, including the salaries and benefits for the Research Scholars. The NIH provides advisors, mentors, laboratory space, and equipment and supplies for laboratory work.  The annual stipend is currently set at $27,000 and includes fully paid health, dental, and vision insurance, moving expense reimbursement, furnished on-campus housing, and an allowance for conference travel, related books and courses.
• Sarnoff Fellowship Program: These fellowships are awarded to medical students and to give them a chance to take a year to conduct intensive research.  Fellowships are typically awarded to second and third year medical students.  These fellowships are open to only medical and dental school students and not to MD/PhD students.  This fellowship awards an annual stipend of $27,500, an annual fellow's allowance of $7,000, and additional travel funds to attend the Sarnoff Annual Scientific meetings, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, NIH Clinical Investigator Student Trainee Forum, and two national conferences.  Typically 18 fellows are funded each year.
• American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation Seed Grant Research Program: This annual program provides $2,500 grants to medical students (MD, MD/PhD, MD/MPH, etc.), physician residents and fellows to conduct basic science, applied, or clinical research in a variety of areas. Applications are usually available in early fall every year, and grants are awarded in early spring of the following year.
• GrantNet: This is a free searchable resource provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  It does allow one to search for funding opportunities for just MD/PhD students as well as just regular medical students and graduate students.
• NIH Medical Scientist Training Program: The NIH has provided financial support to individual MD-PhD programs in order to maintain and/or expand their MD-PhD training programs.  Currently 40 MD-PhD programs are under the MSTP training grants.  There are approximately 75 other MD-PhD programs which do not fall under the support of the MSTP.
• Canadian Institute of Health Research: Similarly to the United States NIH, Canada offers MD-PhD Fellowships under the umbrella of the Institute of Health Research.  However, these are limited to approximately 15 slots for each Canadian MD-PhD program. In essence, this is the Canadian counterpart of the Medical Scientist Training Program Grants (MSTP) found in the United States.  These are offered as MD/PhD Program Studentships.

Post-Doctoral Level

• AHA-PRT Outcomes Research Postdoctoral Fellowships: Two-year postdoctoral fellowships for individuals with a M.D., Ph.D., D.O., D.V.M. or equivalent doctoral degree. Applicants must be U.S.citizens, permanent residents, pending permanent residents, or hold one of the following visa statuses: E-3, F-1, H1-B, J-1, O-1, or TN. Applicants should be exceptional and highly motivated individuals who seek advanced research training and experience to become leaders in cardiovascular disease or stroke outcomes research.
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Awards for Medical Scientists: Five-year $700,000 awards for physician-scientists bridge advanced postdoctoral/fellowship training and the early years of faculty service. Proposals must be in the area of basic biomedical, disease-oriented, translational, or molecular, genetic, or pharmacological epidemiology research. Proposals in the area of epidemiology should contact BWF to determine their eligibility. Proposals in health services research or involving large-scale clinical trials are ineligible. Awards are made to degree granting institutions in the U.S. or Canada on behalf of the awardee.
• The Damon Runyon Fellowship Award: This award supports the training of the brightest postdoctoral scientists as they embark upon their research careers. This funding enables them to be trained by established investigators in leading research laboratories across the country. The Foundation encourages all theoretical and experimental research relevant to the study of cancer and the search for cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies and prevention. Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are granted for a three-year term. Applicants must have completed one or more of the following degrees or its equivalent: MD, PhD, MD/PhD, DDS, DVM.
• NIH Individual Postdoctoral National Research Service Awards For Individual Postdoctoral Fellows (F32): These fellowships cannot be used to support studies leading to an MD or a PhD. These are offered under the National Institute of Health's Extramural Office (PA-03-067)
• Pfizer Post-Doctoral Fellowships: Up to two awards are granted in the following categories in the amount of up to $195,000 for three years.
  • ACCF/Pfizer Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards in Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Pfizer Fellowships in Clear Health Communication
  • Pfizer Fellowships in Infections Diseases

Career Level (Early Stage)

• The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award: This award supports young physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research. The goal is to increase the number of physicians capable of moving seamlessly between the laboratory and the patient's bedside in search of breakthrough treatments. The $450,000 Award will be for a period of three years. Annually, funding of $150,000 ($100,000 stipend and $50,000 research allowance) will be allocated to the awardee's institution for the specific support of the Clinical Investigator.  A portion of the stipend may be applied to research costs upon request.  The Foundation will also retire up to $100,000 of any medical school debt still owed by the awardee.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Physician-Scientist Early Career Award: HHMI awards five-year grants to selected alumni of the HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program and the HHMI Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students Program to support these individuals they begin careers as independent physician-scientists.  The award provides $375,000 over a five-year period for direct research costs. The funds may not be used for the salary of the awardee or institutional indirect costs.  Only alumni of the HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program and the HHMI Research Training Fellowship for Medical Students Program who have received an M.D., M.D./Ph.D., D.D.S, or equivalent degree are eligible to apply.
• Pfizer Scholars Grants: Up to two grants in each of the following categories are awarded in the amount of up to 130,000 for two years.
  • AASM/Pfizer Scholars Grant in Sleep Medicine
  • Pfizer Scholars Grant in Clinical Epidemiology
  • Pfizer Scholars Grant in Clinical Psychiatry
  • Pfizer Scholars Grant in Clinical Rheumatology
  • Pfizer Scholars Grant in Pain Medicine
  • Pfizer Scholars Grant in Public Health
• NIH Loan Repayment Programs: The NIH has instituted a number of loan repayment programs in order "to attract health professionals to careers in clinical, pediatric, health disparity, or contraceptive and infertility research."  The Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program is the one that will be of greatest interest to MD/PhD students.
• NIH National Research Service Awards For Senior Fellows (F33):  To be eligible for this fellowships, one needs to be seven years beyond their doctoral training.  For MD/PhDs, this might be an opportune fellowship after a medical residency / fellowship period.  Participating Institutes include the following:
  • National Institute on Aging (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (PA-00-131)
  • National Cancer Institute (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (PA-00-131)
  • National Eye Institute (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (PA-00-131)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (PA-00-131)
  • National Institute of Nursing Research (PA-00-131)
  • National Center for Human Genome Research (PA-00-131)
  • National Center for Research Resources (PA-00-131)
  • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (PA-00-131)