Available through the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, this award will provide a fellowship stipend, equal to the salary of a full-time PGY-5 for full-time awards, effective July 1, 2022. Historically, 3-4 awards are made annually.
Award
In keeping with the intentions of the donor to create opportunities for advanced study and research in Psychiatry and to serve as a bridge between clinical training and the development of a research career, stipends will be awarded to eligible candidates. Fellows receiving an award will be asked to stipulate that they will devote a certain amount of effort to research to the exclusion of clinical, administrative, and other activities during fellowship. This research can be 80% or greater for full-time awards and 50% for half-time awards. For the latter, the applicant and mentor must provide a clear rationale and information on the applicant's other half-time activities. Additionally, for highly meritorious applications, the Committee will consider a request for a two-year full-time Fellowship award. The award will also cover 25% of the fringe benefits charged by the Fellow’s institution.
Further, to promote research development, half-time stipends at the equivalent of a half-time PGY-4 stipend may be awarded for use in the PGY-4 year. While a solid research plan is expected, review criteria for these half-time PGY-4 stipends will focus primarily on the strength of the training plan, quality and extent of mentoring, and the candidate’s potential to develop into a clinician-scientist.
In the event that a Dupont Warren Fellow receives an NIH Career Development Award, or some other significant award, the fellow will be asked to relinquish the remaining portion of their Fellowship at the time the NIH or other significant award begins.
It is expected that recipients will update the Research Committee by submitting a brief summary of projects at six month intervals and a final report at the end of the fellowship.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for an award:
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MD degree at a PGY-4 level or higher at time of application and be a member of the HMS Department of Psychiatry for a full stipend
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MD degree at a PGY-3 level at time of application and be a member of the HMS Department of Psychiatry for stipend paid at half the PGY-4 rate
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No more than five years have passed since the end of US accredited clinical training
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Cannot hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry of Assistant Professor or higher during fellowship period
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Applicants who have received NIH R or K awards as the PI are not eligible to apply
Application Process
One electronic copy submitted as a single PDF document must be emailed to heather_adams@hms.harvard.edu by Wednesday, December 1, 2021. Combined applications for Dupont Warren, Kaplen, Livingston, and Zinberg Awards are permitted. The following items must be present in the application to be considered for the fellowship award:
1) Fellowship Application Front Page
2) A cover letter, not to exceed two pages, from the applicant explaining how the Fellowship year will fit into his/her upcoming career plans. The letter should include details of the candidate’s training activities during the course of the Fellowship (e.g., coursework, skills development, grant preparation, etc). The letter should also describe any past or current research experience and committed or pending external funding.
3) A current curriculum vitae in the current Harvard format (http://fa.hms.harvard.edu/faculty-medicine-cv-guidelines). Although the Harvard format does not allow the listing of submitted papers, please add these along with the name of the journal to which the manuscript was submitted.
4) A Research Plan. This should include: (a) title of project, (b) brief abstract not to exceed 150 words, (c) description of the specific aims of the project, (d) background and significance of the proposed research project, (e) description of the research design, (f) description of methods, (g) discussion of proposed analyses to be used in the project, and (h) timeline for completing the project during the fellowship year. If a two-year full-time award is requested, a clear rationale for the extended project timeline should be provided. The Research Plan has an absolute limit of 4 pages, single-spaced, with standard type size of 15 characters per inch (using Arial or Times New Roman 11 font). One extra page will be allowed for a listing of referenced literature. Appendices will not be accepted.
5) A listing of other research resources available to support the project (e.g., supplies, technical assistance, diagnostic laboratory tests).
6) Mentoring is a key component of evaluating the candidate for an award as well as an important factor in the evaluation of the application. The mentor will work with the applicant to select a project that is feasible within the time frame and budget proposed. Support from the Fellow’s faculty mentor is an important factor in the evaluation of the application. The mentor must address each item in the Mentor’s Statement.
7) All projects will be reviewed closely for feasibility and the recruitment plan will be evaluated. Clinical trials in particular will need to clearly demonstrate feasibility. Projects involving large scale clinical trials with multiple groups must provide additional assurances that the proposed study has sufficient financial support and can be completed in the proposed time period. Projects that include drug studies or new devices that do not have approved IND or NDA certification at the time of application will not be considered.
8) The applicant is expected to work closely with their mentor to develop an application that is both scientifically rigorous and feasible within the budget and time commitment proposed.
9) A letter from the head of the sponsoring hospital department which needs to include a statement of willingness to assume the cost of fringe benefits, and commitment to protect time for research.
Summary of Fellowship Requirements
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MDs (level PGY-4 or higher for full stipend; level PGY-3 for half the PGY-4 stipend) in the Department of Psychiatry are eligible
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25% of the fellow’s institution’s fringe benefits will be paid by the fellowship; the remainder of fringe benefits (and indirect costs) must be funded by the sponsoring institution.
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No more than five years have passed since the end of US accredited clinical training
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Cannot hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry of Assistant Professor or higher during fellowship period
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Applicants who have received NIH R or K awards as the PI are not eligible to apply
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One electronic copy submitted as a single PDF document must be emailed to heather_adams@hms.harvard.edu by Wednesday, December 1, 2021; awards will be announced in late January, 2022.
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Incomplete applications will not be considered
Download the Mentor's Statement and Fellowship Application Front Page forms.
For further information, contact heather_adams@hms.harvard.edu.