Awards

Apply for the ASH Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award

The Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award provides funding for talented first-, second-, and third-year medical students to conduct a year-long hematology research project and to learn more about the specialty by working under the supervision of an ASH member.

Eligibility Requirements

At the time of application, the applicant must:

  • Be an ASH member in good standing or have a membership application pending. To verify your membership status, please log in to your ASH account. Not an ASH member yet? Take the first step. Submit your membership application at least three weeks prior to the application deadline to allow sufficient time for processing.
  • Be a first-, second-, or third-year medical student actively enrolled in an MD or DO medical program in an LCME or AOA COCA (or its equivalent) accredited medical school in the United States or Canada and be in good standing relative to his/her course work.
  • Be planning an investigative career in laboratory, translational, or clinical hematology research.
  • Propose a hematology research project that will be exclusive to the applicant and will be conducted within the mentor’s lab. The project may take place at the institution where the applicant is in medical school or at another institution with sufficient activity in hematology research and education, as judged by the award study section.
  • Plan to conduct the research at an institution that will allow for continued enrollment in medical school and/or will provide an alternative mechanism for the student to maintain health, dental, and vision insurance during the award term (up to $5,500 in funding is provided for premiums for this insurance).
  • Agree to spend more than 80 percent of his/her time conducting research during the one-year experience; some clinical shadowing of hematologists or related providers during the year is allowed.
  • Have a research mentor who is an ASH member in good standing and has active research funding in hematology from the NIH or an equivalent organization. The mentor will assist in completing the program application, oversee the award recipient’s work, aid the recipient in his/her research, and ensure that the recipient meets all deadlines.

The following individuals are not eligible to apply:

  • Individuals who are currently enrolled in a combined MD-PhD program (students who earned a PhD prior to medical school will be considered on an individual basis if their field of PhD study lies outside of biomedical science)
  • Individuals who have other concurrent funding for a similar experience

Additional Mentor Requirements

ASH believes that a multiple mentorship model is important for researchers regardless of their career stage. Therefore, the applicant may include a second mentor in his/her application to provide advice and career development support as well as additional guidance on research questions. If the study section believes additional mentorship may be beneficial to the applicant, members of the study section will be responsible for identifying an appropriate mentor and facilitating contact. The additional mentor will coordinate with the research mentor to the extent that is feasible and desirable.

Application Process

The Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award application, as well as all supporting documents outlined below, must be submitted through the ASH online awards system.

All applications must include the following:

  • Applicant NIH Biographical Sketch
  • Research Mentor NIH Biographical Sketch
  • Research Mentor Letter of Support
  • Applicant Career-Development Plan
  • Research Proposal

For more information about the required materials, please see the Required Documents PDF.

Apply now

ASH has moved to a new awards system that is attached to our member database. Please ensure that your information is up-to-date and correct, as we will email you from the primary email address in the database. You can sign in to update your information here.

Evaluation, Selection, and Notification

Applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award study section. Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • The significance and originality of the proposed study and hypothesis
  • The appropriateness, feasibility, and adequacy of the proposed experiment and methodology
  • A focus on basic, translational, or clinical health sciences hematology research
  • The applicant's qualifications and experiences, including the potential for future independent investigation and commitment to a career in hematology research, among others
  • The mentor's qualifications in terms of past mentorship in hematology and the ability to lead the medical student to a successful end product of a submitted manuscript within the year of research work

There is no limit to the number of applications that an institution and its affiliates can submit. However, no more than one award will be granted for any given institution. For this purpose, ASH’s definition of “medical school” encompasses all affiliate institutions (e.g., University of Washington would include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Children's Hospital, etc.).

Terms and Conditions

All awards will be activated on July 1 and will conclude on June 30 of the following year (off-cycle exceptions may be allowed with explanation). Payment will be made in two equal installments (on July 1 and on January 1) to the institution at which the recipient will conduct his/her research. Research award funds are non-transferable.

As a condition of acceptance of the Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award, it is required that:

  • All funds must be used to provide the award recipient with a stipend and any supplies for the purposes of conducting the research submitted in the application. Indirect costs (e.g., facilities and administrative costs) are not allowed. Violation will result in the revocation of the award funds.
  • The recipient arrange for his/her own health insurance either through his/her institution or independently.
  • Any visa and/or citizenship restrictions applicable to receiving the Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award be the responsibility of the applicant.
  • The recipient attend the ASH annual meeting, including the orientation breakfast. Funds to attend the ASH annual meeting will be paid from the funds allotted for meeting attendance.
  • The recipient cite support from the American Society of Hematology in any publication or poster describing research conducted during the award period.
  • The recipient respond to all requests from the Society for information about the recipients career progress following his/her award period.

Final Report

After the award period, recipients are required to submit a final written report (not to exceed four pages). The report should include a summary of research, manuscript submissions during the award period related to the funded research, presentations (locally and nationally) of the funded research during the award period, educational goals met, and a summary of the usage of funds. The report must be emailed to [email protected]. Members of the Oversight Committee will evaluate all final reports.

Please note: Failure to submit the final report or an interim progress report will render the applicant ineligible for future ASH funding.

Applying for Second Year of Funding

Students making significant progress may submit a written request to reapply for one additional year of funding. Award renewal requests should be submitted by the award deadline. As part of the request, a joint letter must be submitted by the awardee and his/her mentor addressing the following:

  • Aims of the original grant application
  • Progress made on those aims
  • What will be performed during the additional year
  • How an additional year of funding is necessary from a career development perspective
  • Why a second year of funding is needed and why the awardee was denied other funding (if applicable)
  • Plans for future funding applications
  • Provide evidence of publications or publications under review
  • Provide comment from the institutional leader justifying the need for a second year of funding

Extensions

A no-cost extension may be requested, if needed. To request an extension, the award recipient’s mentor should submit a letter to the ASH Awards Department at [email protected].

Unused Funds

Any funding not spent by the end of the award term must be returned to the Society when submitting the final report. A check made out to “American Society of Hematology” must be sent to the address listed below:

Allie Samis
Awards Programs Specialist
American Society Hematology
2021 L Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036

Questions?

For questions about the Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award, please contact [email protected].