Early Career Faculty Caregiving Support for Professional Travel

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons was one of ten institutions awarded the NIH Prize for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity in Biomedical and Behavioral Science. The $50,000 award will be used to further support the advancement and equity of early career faculty at VP&S.

Based on recommendations from faculty, the office will use these funds to cover caregiving expenses (for either a child or elder/adult’s needs) for early career faculty during conferences at which they are presenting. Funds may be used for in-person or online conference attendance for expenses related to caregiving during the conference (i.e. back-up care payments, added caregiving costs, etc.).

Funding will be based on costs as outlined by the candidate, up to a maximum of $1,000 per individual.  

Eligibility Criteria:  

To participate, faculty members must meet the following criteria:

  • Must have a full-time appointment at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S)
  • Be at the Assistant Professor rank (“at CUMC” track or tenure track)
  • Must be presenting at (not just attending) a domestic and/or international meeting for their discipline

Note: Administrators, adjuncts, visitors, and part-time faculty are not eligible for this program.   

Award Use:

The Early Career Faculty Caregiving Support for Professional Travel Fund can be used to support reasonable and approved expenses up to a maximum of $1,000 per individual. Funding will be based on costs as outlined by the candidate.

Allowable expenses below:

  • Caregiving at home or conference venue.
  • Reasonable dependent care expenses over and above the costs, if any, that would be required for normal care here, if a dependent is traveling with you.
  • Travel expenses for caregiver (e.g., air or train travel)
  • Cost of storing and shipping breastmilk 

Application Process:

Faculty must submit the following materials to the VP&S Office for Women and Diverse Faculty: women_diversefaculty@cumc.columbia.edu. Applications will be reviewed and granted on a rolling basis until funds run out. Please send requests at least two weeks before the conference date.
Applications should include:

  • Application form
    (please note: if applying for funding for multiple conferences you will need to submit one form per conference)
  • Invitation or acceptance (i.e., for speaking engagement or poster presentation)
  • Updated CV (in CUIMC format)

Payment Method:

Early career faculty will be eligible to receive up to $1,000 in funding per person. Funds will be distributed as additional compensation (added directly to your paycheck) after the conference/presentation has taken place and receipts have been submitted. 

If expenses are less than $1,000 for a single travel event, more than one request may be submitted for that individual within one academic/fiscal year, until the maximum amount is reached.

Please send the VP&S Office for Women and Diverse Faculty an email if you have any questions: women_diversefaculty@cumc.columbia.edu.