Biomedical Sciences Blog

The American Foundation for Aging Research (AFAR) was supporting education and research in aging through fellowships to graduate and undergraduate students.

Awards Given

• $500 to undergraduates nationwide, $1,000 GSK award limited to students in North Carolina
• $1,000 to graduates nationwide, $2,000 GSK award limited to students in North Carolina
• $500 Fellowships for neurological cancer research and graduate research

Application Process

• Complete pre-application & email to afar_office@ncsu.edu; 4 week review time
• Successful pre-applicants receive a full application; allow 2 month for review after all materials are received
• Acceptance of an award is an agreement to attend AFAR's next recent biannual on-line symposium AND our biennial GlaxoSmithKline Foundation symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Acceptance of an award is to guarantee that AFAR will be acknowledged in all publications of the sponsored work AND AFAR will receive a copy of this research.
• Awardees must provide written instructions from university as to how to disperse award.

Awards are granted or denied based on the full application review. Applicants whose pre-applications or full application proposals are not accepted will be notified by mail or e-mail.

Eligibility for pre-application:

Applicants must be undergraduate, graduate, or pre-doctoral students enrolled in degree programs at colleges or universities in the United States. United States citizenship is not required. However, students must be enrolled in a U.S. institution at the time an application is submitted.

Areas of interest to AFAR include but are not limited to:

Molecular and Cellular Biology
Immunobiology
Cancer Research
Neurobiology
Biochemistry
Molecular Biophysics
Genomics
Proteomics
The individuals most often granted awards utilize modern and innovative approaches and technologies.

There are no deadlines for pre-application or full application submission. Pre-applications are reviewed upon receipt. There is no set number of fellowships awarded each year. The number of financial awards granted depends upon the number of superior research proposals received in addition to the amount of resources available for fellowships. Awards may be renewed once. Renewal awards depend on the demonstration of success toward the goal of the original application.

Full Application Requirements:

When a full application is submitted, the student's advisor must submit a letter of reference. In addition, two other letters of reference from instructors are required. One copy of official undergraduate transcripts must be submitted with the full application. Graduate students must also submit an official transcript from their graduate institution.

If animal and/or human subject studies are involved, the student's institution must send the Foundation appropriate, signed assurances that federally mandated and accepted practices are being followed before a financial award is made. The paperwork may be submitted with the full application or after the full application has been accepted.

Graduate fellowships are $1000.00 and are renewable depending upon the success of the research. Undergraduate scholarships are $500.00 and also renewable. Renewals are highly competitive - less than 5% of research is renewed. Applicants must be actively involved in, or planning active involvement in, a specific biomedical or biochemical research project with a faculty member in the field of aging.

Contact afar_office@ncsu.edu if you would like information on renewing your award.

Introduction

The CDRH Medical Device Fellowship Program (MDFP) provides opportunities for health professionals to participate in the FDA regulatory process for medical devices.

CDRH regulates a wide array of medical devices, from artificial hearts, pacemakers, and drug-coated stents; to deep brain stimulators and spinal implants; dialysis machines and infusion pumps; intraocular lenses and cochlear implants; robotic surgery devices and stair-climbing wheelchairs; to in vitro diagnostic devices, and many others. To keep pace with the rapid development of new technology, and to make decisions based on the best scientific information and knowledge available, CDRH routinely consults with experts in the academic community, other government entities, clinical practice, and the military.

CDRH established the Medical Device Fellowship Program to increase the range and depth of collaborations between CDRH and the outside scientific community. The MDFP offers short and long-term fellowship opportunities for individuals interested in learning about the regulatory process and sharing their knowledge and experience with medical devices from the relatively simple to the highly complex.

Physicians with clinical or surgical expertise, engineers in biomedical, mechanical, electrical and software areas, and individuals from many other scientific disciplines have participated in the fellowship program. Opportunities are available for students in many areas as well.

Career Development

Learn about the FDA approval process for medical devices:

• medical device design
• clinical trial design and data
• safety and efficacy evaluation
• materials, performance, bioeffects and standards
• adverse events

Public Service

• Join CDRH’s mission to protect the public health by ensuring that medical devices are safe and effective.
• Share your expertise on complex device issues.
• Make a difference in the lives of patients and consumers.

Application Deadlines

Professionals

• Applications are accepted year-round and should be submitted at least 3 months prior to the desired starting date.

Students

• Summer Interns 2009 – Applications will be accepted from October 1, 2008 to Feb. 1, 2009. Selected candidates will be notified by May, 2009.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Co-op and internship candidates must be enrolled in a university or college at the junior level or higher, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0.
• Co-op students must be enrolled in a formal university cooperative program.

How to Apply

To apply to the MDFP, please complete our online application form.

Additionally, you must send an email with the following documents attached:

• resume
• letter of interest, describing your level of interest in the medical device field
• academic transcript (for students)

Please note that this form will only be accepted if it is submitted correctly and completely. It may not be saved to be completed at a later time. Please follow the instructions provided and send the requested documents together in one email.

Please see our Privacy Impact Statement.

Selection Criteria

Candidates must meet the following selection criteria:

• Free from conflict of interest
• Relevant work experience
• Demonstrated skill
• Ability to collaborate and work with others
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing
• Ability to handle deadline pressure

FDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Where to Send

• Email: mdfp@fda.hhs.gov
• Or mail to this address:
  • Medical Device Fellowship Program
    9200 Corporate Blvd HFZ-1
    Rockville, MD 20850

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has announced that it will award up to $25 million in new grants to build on a unique program that prepares scientists to translate laboratory discoveries into new medical treatments.

The second round of grants in the “Med Into Grad” initiative will be open to up to 25 institutions. The deadline for registering the intent to apply for the grants is January 6, 2009.

HHMI launched the initiative in 2005 to support the development of graduate training programs that incorporate an understanding of the principles of medicine and disease into the education of Ph.D. researchers. Thirteen grants—ranging from approximately $600,000 to $1 million— were awarded in the first round.

“We believe the researchers trained by these programs will be able to recognize important scientific problems of medicine and address these problems in their research,” says William Galey, program director for HHMI's graduate education and medical research training programs

Galey says the program is already having an impact, noting that participating institutions have considerable flexibility in the way they introduce medicine into graduate education. For example, the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine immerses students in medical specialties, including clinical practice, and offers courses in drug design and stem cell biology. Another grantee, the Baylor College of Medicine, has created a new Ph.D. program in translational biology and molecular medicine; students receive rigorous training in the basic biomedical sciences, participate in clinical rounds, and are mentored by both clinicians and basic science researchers.

Graduate students at all participating institutions are able to collaborate with physician-scientists, choose medically relevant thesis topics, and publish work in medical journals. Their projects often bring together research from their clinical and basic science mentors.

“The initiative has been a resounding success,” says Peter Bruns, HHMI's vice president for grants and special programs. “The programs have attracted highly talented students who are now doing innovative research at the interface of basic science or engineering and clinical medicine.”

Yet Bruns notes that many schools have found it difficult to find permanent funding for their programs. The new competition will support continued funding for some existing programs and enable additional institutions to expand their graduate training programs.

“We now know that many more institutions would like to establish and run such programs,” said Bruns. “Unfortunately, there are few funds from other private or government sources available to support them.”

Any university in the United States that offers Ph.D. training in a biomedical science is eligible to apply for a grant through the “Med Into Grad” initiative, including previous grantees. A distinguished panel of graduate educators, biomedical researchers, and physician scientists will help select the awardees. Programs must register their intent to apply by January 6, 2009. The application deadline is April 27, 2009.

To register an intent to apply or to read more about the HHMI Med Into Grad Initiative, please go to www.hhmi.org/competitions

Source: HHMI