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Funding Opportunities: 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 as 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)