Student Research at VP&S

Research Year

General advice for external sources for Research Year:

  • Majority due in December, January, and February
  • Most are highly competitive so best to apply for several
  • Applications almost always require that you’ve already identified a mentor and project
  • Applications always require letters of recommendation from faculty
  • Mentors may know of additional resources to fund a research year 
  • Get started early

Medical Research Scholars Program

NIH Clinical Center

  • Program description
  • Mentored support for medical students for a year off to work in an academic research lab
  • Research must be done at the NIH Intramural Campus, Bethesda MD
  • U.S. citizens and permanent residents
  • Basic, clinical, translational, population health research
  • Applications accepted October 1, 2023 and close January 5, 2024 at 5PM EST.
  • Stipend - ~$50,400

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T32)

  • A T32 is an NIH training award to an institution that supports post-doctoral fellows to do research
  • Some NIH institutes also support pre-doctoral students, including medical students, to do 1-2 years of research
  • If your mentor is faculty on a Columbia T32, they MAY be able to apply on your behalf

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Medical Student Research Training (MSRT) Program

  • T32: Medical Student Research Training Supplement
  • At Columbia, grants in Nephrology & Endocrinology
  • Application due dates are January 18th and April 18th 2024
  • VP&S students received one in 2017 and 2020
  • Stipends ~$27,144/year + $4,550 to support research costs

Columbia Parent T32 Training Grants that might support VP&S Students during a Research Year

  • Biomedical Informatics
  • Cancer Biology
  • Cardiovascular Translational Sciences
  • Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies
  • Climate and Health
  • Environmental Life Course Epidemiology
  • Genetics and Development
  • Global HIV Implementation Science Research
  • Hormones, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
  • Microbiology and Immunology
  • Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training
  • Neuroscience (Theoretical)
  • Neurobiology and Behavior
  • Neurology
  • Nutrition
  • Obesity Research
  • Precision Medicine (Dr. Wendy Chung)
  • Psychiatric Epidemiology
  • Substance Abuse Epidemiology Training Program (SAETP)
  • Vision Sciences

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

  • One-year fellowships in Environmental Medicine for Medical Students
  • Oriented to Population Health
  • Locations include Research Triangle Park, NC or NIH, Bethesda, MD
  • NIEHS Medical Student Research Fellowships
  • Fellowships start in late summer/early fall.
  • Apply “as early as possible”
  • Will be notified as early as February 28th, 2024, and no later than June 1, 2024 (depending on when application was submitted) to start in early summer

Fulbright U.S. Student Program & Fulbright-Fogarty Awards in Public Health

  • Program description
  • Mission is to promote expansion of research in public health and clinical research in resource-limited settings
  • For the 2024-2025 academic year, Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship placements will be available in the countries listed below:
    • East Asia-Pacific: Vietnam
    • Sub-Saharan Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda
    • South and Central Asia: Nepal
    • Western Hemisphere: Jamaica and Peru
  • Application Deadline: Tuesday October 10, 2023 at 5 pm Eastern Time

Fogarty International Center Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars

  • Program description
  • Support U.S. universities to provide mentored Global Health research training in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)
  • Individual students from U.S. or from LMICs apply via university consortia for placement at LMIC institution
  • Harvard, UC Berkeley, UC Global Health Institute, UNC-Chapel Hill, U of Washington, Vanderbilt
  • Application due dates vary by consortia
  • Stipend country-specific, but generally covers all expenses

HIV Vaccine Trials Network - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

  • Research and Mentorship Program (RAMP) Scholar Grants
  • African-American and/or Latinx medical students considering careers in HIV vaccine development research
  • Basic, clinical, behavioral, or social science research at HIV Vaccine Trials Unit in the U.S. + up to 16 weeks at an international HIV Vaccine Trials Unit
  • 9-12 months duration
  • 6-8 selected per year
  • Maximum award $70,000
  • Usually due in early January

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

  • Ben Fox Student Orthopaedic Research Fellowship
  • Clinical research in orthopaedic research at CHOP
  • Benjamin Fox Orthopaedic Research Scholar Award
  • $30,000 Stipend + funding to present research at meetings
  • Application deadline is November 15, 2023.
  • Earlier applications are welcome
  • Fellowships offered to candidates on rolling basis

University of Pennsylvania

  • Special Study in Anatomic Pathology or Laboratory Medicine (Clinical Pathology)
  • Fellowship includes research and independent study
  • Structure flexible to permit student to tailor program to individual interests
  • Spend a year in the Department, functioning like a PGY1 Resident
  • Applications taken year round but preferred before January 1st, 2024
  • Stipend $30,000
  • Student fellowship

UCLA

  • South American Program in HIV Prevention Research (SAPHIR)
  • NIH-funded 11-month training program in HIV prevention research
  • Didactic and practical training in one of the key areas of HIV prevention research
  • Behavioral Prevention, Biomedical Prevention, Therapeutics, Epidemiology, Basic/Translational Science, and Health Policy
  • Two locations: Lima, Peru or Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Application is usually due in mid-January

American Society of Hematology (ASH)

Sarnoff Endowment for Cardiovascular Sciences Fellowship Program

  • Program description 
  • Student Stipend: $42,000 stipend + up to $8,000 for travel to select a laboratory, moving expenses, health insurance, and to attend 2 scientific meetings
  • Deadline: January 10, 2024

American-Scandinavian Foundation Fellowship

In addition, the AAMC's Clinical and Research Opportunities website provides a list of fellowships, internships, summer programs, scholarships, and grants currently available in the United States and abroad.