Epidemiology Fellowship Board

Bulletin board listing of fellowships, scholarships, and internships in epidemiology, biostatistics, and public health


Saturday, June 28, 2008

Pre and Postdoctoral Fellowships, Health Outcomes, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation (PhRMA) has announced the availability of its 2009 Foundation Programs.

1. Pharmaceutics
2. Informatics
3. Health Outcomes
4. Pharmacology
5. Clinical Pharmacology

3. Health Outcomes:

Outcomes research spans a broad spectrum of issues from studies evaluating the effectiveness of a particular pharmaceutical intervention to the impact of reimbursement policies on the outcomes of care. It also ranges from the development and use of tools to perform patient-based assessments to analyses of the best way to disseminate the results of outcomes research to providers or consumers to encourage behavior change.

Pre Doctoral Fellowships - This program provides two years of stipend funding during the doctoral program after course work has been completed and the remaining training activity is a student's research project. An applicant must be a full-time student and the Department Chair of graduate officer is expected to verify the applicant's doctoral candidacy.

Application Deadline for all types of Health Outcomes Awards: October 1, 2008
Detailed instructions can be found at: www.phrmafoundation.org

Types of Awards:

--Pre Doctoral Fellowships - This program provides two years of stipend funding during the doctoral program after course work has been completed and the remaining training activity is a student's research project. An applicant must be a full-time student and the Department Chair of graduate officer is expected to verify the applicant's doctoral candidacy.

The program assumes that the fellows will devote full-time (including summers) to their research. The PhRMA Foundation fellowship may not be used as a supplement to funds from other fellowships, traineeships or assistantships. The focus of the program is to assist in the pre doctoral training of the candidate. It should not be viewed as a program to fund a research project.

The fellowship program of pre-doctoral support is designed to assist full-time, in-residence Ph.D. candidates in the fields of health outcomes who are enrolled in U.S. schools of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry or schools of public health. The program seeks to support advanced students who will have completed the bulk of their pre-thesis requirements (two years of study) and are starting their thesis research by the time the award is activated. Students just starting in graduate school should not apply.

A candidate enrolled in an M.D./Ph.D. program should not be taking required clinical course work or clerkships during the tenure of the fellowship.

Before an individual is eligible to apply for a PhRMA Foundation award, the applicant must first have a firm commitment from a U.S. university. Applications must be submitted by an accredited U.S. school, and all applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

The award is made to the university on behalf of the fellow. The fellowship provides a stipend of $20,000 a year payable monthly for a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years. Of the $20,000 awarded annually, $500 a year may be used for incidentals directly associated with the thesis research preparation (e.g., secretarial help, artwork, books, travel, etc.). Awards may be activated beginning January 1, 2009 or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including August 1, 2009. The second year of a fellowship is contingent upon certification by the thesis advisor that satisfactory progress is being achieved.

The program, therefore, is designed to provide students stipend support during thesis research. An individual may not simultaneously hold or interrupt any other fellowship providing stipend support during the PhRMA Foundation fellowship. During the tenure of the fellowship, the fellow must be a full-time in-residence student.

The stipend may be continued for up to three months after completion of the requirements for the doctorate, provided that the student remains in the department during this period and has obtained no other stipend or salary support. This provision applies only if there is sufficient time remaining within the agreed upon period of the fellowship and upon specific request to the Foundation, detailing how the time would be used.

Indirect costs are not provided to the institution and PhRMA Foundation grant funds may not be used for this purpose.

--Post Doctoral Fellowships - This program provides stipend funding to well-trained graduates from Pharm. D., M.D., and Ph.D. programs who seek to further develop and refine their research skills through formal postdoctoral training. An application must include a research plan written by the applicant, a mentor's research record, and a description of how the mentored experience will enhance the applicant's career development in health outcomes research. The program is designed for candidates who expect to complete the requirements for the Ph.D. in the field of health outcomes in two years or less from the time the fellowship begins.

The intent of the program is to provide support for a person beginning a Post Doctoral program. Applicants are encouraged to apply at the earliest point of their Post Doctoral research period as possible

Health outcomes research evaluates the value of pharmaceuticals and the value of their outcomes. There is widespread concern about rising healthcare expenditures as well as increasing interest in understanding the impact of new therapies on patient reported outcomes (PROs) such as functional status and quality of life. Because of these new perspectives, choices about new drugs are now based not only on traditional safety and efficacy measures but also on PROs and economic value measures. Decision makers, who include patients, health care providers, government payers, and private payers, may put different weights on measures of drug value. Drug development programs need to include all outcome measures to satisfy the needs of the different decision makers. The PhRMA Foundation, recognizing the need for manpower to perform these outcome analyses, has implemented a program to build manpower in this vital new discipline.

This program provides stipend funding to well-trained graduates from Pharm. D., M.D., and Ph.D. programs who seek to further develop and refine their research skills through formal postdoctoral training. They must also have a firm commitment from an accredited U.S. university and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

The award, consisting of a $40,000 annual stipend, is made to the institution on behalf of the fellow. The award is intended solely as a stipend and may not be used otherwise. If necessary, the institution may supplement the award to a level that is consistent with other postdoctoral fellowships it currently offers. If the stipend is to be supplemented, indicate the amount. If no supplement is intended, so state this. The program provides no other subsidies (travel, tuition, fringe benefit costs, etc.) and indirect costs to the institution are not provided. It is expected that the fellowship will be administered in accordance with the prevailing policies and procedures of the institution. The second year of this award is contingent upon a progress report approved by the Foundation and submission of a financial report. A final report will be required upon completion of the program.

--Sabbatical Fellowships - This program provides stipend funding to enable faculty members at all levels with active research programs an opportunity to work at other institutions for periods of six months to one year to learn new skills or develop new collaborations that will enhance their research and research training activities in health outcomes. Applicants are expected to have approval (or pending approval) for a sabbatical leave from their home institution, and provide an endorsement from the mentor who will sponsor their visiting scientist activity. Matching funds must be provided through the university. The PhRMA Foundation Sabbatical Fellowship in Health Outcomes provides stipend support for individuals engaged in a multidisciplinary research training program that will create or extend their credentials in health outcomes. The purpose (intent) of this program is to enable faculty with active research programs to work outside of their home institution for periods of



6 months to one year to learn new skills or develop new collaborations that will enhance their research and research training capabilities in health outcomes.

The applicant and mentor of the program must describe how the multidisciplinary goals of the research experiential program will be accomplished and provide assurance that key collaborating mentors endorse and are willing to support the plan.

Matching funds must be provided by the home institution.

Eligible applicants must (1) hold a PhD, Pharm.D., M.D. or Sc.D. degree in a field of study logically or functionally related to the proposed post doctoral activities, (2) hold a faculty appointment that imparts eligibility for a sabbatical leave from their home institution, (3) have institutional approval of a sabbatical plan that includes partial salary that matches the PhRMA stipend, (4) hold an endorsement from a mentor who agrees to sponsor the applicant's visiting scientist activity, and (5) be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Provides up to $40,000 stipend support for mid-career scientists to engage in an academic year or calendar year experiential program intended to redirect their core research focus to an area of emerging importance to pharmaceutical research and development. The program provides no other subsidies (travel, tuition, fringe benefit costs, etc.) and indirect costs to the institution are not provided. It is expected that the fellowship will be administered in accordance with the prevailing policies and procedures of the institution. Successful applicants will have approval for a sabbatical leave from their home institution, and a commitment to host their experience from a research mentor in an environment other than the applicant's home institution.

NOTE: Awards may be activated beginning January 1, 2009 or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including December 1, 2009.

--Research Starter Grants - This program support individuals beginning independent research careers in academia. Applicants must be appointed to an entry-level tenure-track or equivalent permanent position in a department or unit responsible for health outcomes research activities as part of its core mission. The description of an applicant's career goals and the Department Chair's description of institutional support for an applicant's salary, are also important components of the evaluation.

The purpose of the PhRMA Foundation Research Starter Grants is to offer financial support to individuals beginning their independent research careers at the faculty level. The program provides a research grant of $30,000 per year for up to two years. This program supports individuals beginning independent research careers in academia who do not have other substantial sources of research.

This program is not offered as a means to augment substantially funded research efforts. It is intended to offer support for researchers who are starting their independent research efforts.

The "starter" aspect of the program strives to assist those individuals who are establishing careers as independent investigators in the field of health outcomes. The program is not offered as a means to augment an ongoing research effort nor is the grant intended to be used for any direct effort to obtain further extramural funding. The funds are to be used to conduct the proposed research.

Those holding the academic rank of instructor or assistant professor and investigators at the doctoral level with equivalent positions are eligible to apply for these research starter grants, providing their proposed research is neither directly nor indirectly subsidized to any significant degree by an extramural support mechanism. The program is not intended for those in postdoctoral training programs. However, individuals in postdoctoral training scheduled to conclude and who will hold an academic appointment by January 1, 2008 may apply. Applicants must be sponsored by the department or unit within which the proposed research is to be undertaken. The grant is made to the university on behalf of the applicant and with the understanding that the university will administer the funds. Schools of medicine, pharmacy, public health, nursing, dentistry and schools of other areas where appropriate are eligible for this award.

This award is granted in part based on need. If an individual currently has or is guaranteed substantial funding, they should not apply.

Applications must be submitted by an accredited school in the U.S., and all applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Before an individual is eligible to apply for a PhRMA Foundation award, the applicant must first have a firm commitment from a U.S. university




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