Human Genetics Grants

DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics

In recognition of the critical role DeLill Nasser played for the discipline and for her love of genetics, in 2001, The Genetics Society of America established The DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics, an award for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees, to support travel costs for young geneticists to attend national and international meetings and enroll in laboratory courses. The Award is named for long-time GSA member and National Science Foundation Program Director in Eukaryotic Genetics, DeLill Nasser.

Nasser, who died in 2000, was at NSF for more than 22 years and was considered the “patron saint” of genetics and friend of many geneticists. She was primarily interested “in the science” and because of this interest championed the funding of the genomic sequencing of Arabidopsis and research in Drosophila. Giving them time and support, Nasser enabled researchers to work on genetic problems, sometimes seemingly obscure, which resulted in significant progress in genetics research.

Nasser was especially supportive of young scientists, people who were beginning their careers and those trying to open new areas of genetic inquiry.

Members of the DeLill Nasser Selection Committee are: Thomas Kaufman, Chair, Philip Harriman and Scott Hawley. At least one award, and sometimes more, is given annually to a graduate student or postdoctoral trainee. For a list of past recipients, please click here.

Each year, GSA membership is asked to contribute to the fund. Checks should be written to The Genetics Society of America with “DeLill Nasser Fund” written in the lower left memo, and mailed to:
Elaine Strass
Executive Director
Genetics Society of America
9650 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20814-3998
Email: estrass@genetics-gsa.org
Tel: 301-634-7301

John J. Wasmuth Postdoctoral Fellowships

The John J. Wasmuth postdoctoral fellowships are named in honor of the late John Jacob Wasmuth who was an essential member of the Huntington's Disease Collaborative Research Group and a long-term and valued member of our Scientific Advisory Board. John was a superb mentor. It is our hope that those granted fellowships bearing his name will seek the same level of creativity, imagination, rigor and esprit de corps that characterized John.

The Hereditary Disease Foundation offers support for research projects that will contribute to identifying and understanding the basic defect of Huntington's disease. Areas of interest include trinucleotide expansions, animal models, gene therapy, neurobiology and development of the basal ganglia, cell survival and death, and intercellular signaling in striatal neurons.

Anyone accepting funding from the Hereditary Disease Foundation must agree to abide by the following policy: Propagatable materials (including monoclonal antibodies and recombinant DNAs) should be freely available to other investigators following publication. The Foundation's position is that there be no restrictions or proprietary rights in materials produced with our support.

Deadlines for applications are February 15, June 15 and October 15. Applications will be reviewed in May, September and January. All John Wasmuth Fellowships are automatically considered in January of every year for the Milton Wexler Fellowship award.

To obtain an application, please submit a letter of intent no more than one page long. It may be submitted at any time to the following address,

Hereditary Disease Foundation
Attn: Carl D. Johnson, PhD
3960 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10032
USA

John J. Wasmuth Postdoctoral Fellowship awards are based on the following scale which includes all university fringe benefits plus $8,000 for supplies:

0 years since Ph.D. = Stipend of $40,500

1 year since Ph.D. = Stipend of $43,000

2 years since Ph.D. = Stipend of $46,000

3 years since Ph.D. = Stipend of $48,200

4 years since Ph.D. = Stipend of $50,200

5 years since Ph.D. = Stipend of $52,400

6 years since Ph.D. = Stipend of $54,500

7 years since Ph.D. = Stipend of $56,000
Indirect costs are not allowed, but fringe benefits are considered part of personnel costs and are permitted.

Funded fellowships will be renewed for a second year, subject to satisfactory progress reports.

The completed application packet will consist of the application, the curriculum vitae of the applicant and the applicant’s research sponsor, a letter of support from the sponsor, and two letters of recommendation from two others familiar with the applicant, one of whom is normally the applicant’s PhD. sponsor.

Note: Completed applications should be submitted by email and five (5) hardcopies. Supplemental material and reprints should be submitted with a file type of PDF (.pdf).

Applicants are notified of funding decisions by letter only.

A list of previous Postdoctoral Fellows is available on request.

Hereditary Disease Foundation
3960 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10032
Voice: (212) 928-2121
Fax: (212) 928-2172

http://www.hdfoundation.org

Please feel free to contact the Hereditary Disease Foundation by phone at
1 (212) 928-2121 with questions or comments regarding the application process

Genetics

"Genetics is one of the most far-reaching of the sciences with its potential to alleviate human suffering."

Peter Gruber, Chairman
The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation

The Genetics Prize is presented to a leading scientist or group of scientists in recognition of groundbreaking contributions to any realm of genetics research.

The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation established and awarded its first Genetics Prize in 2001. This year of monumental accomplishment in genetics research, with the successful sequencing of the human genome, was a particularly auspicious time to launch the world's first major international prize devoted specifically to achievements in the realm of genetics research.

Created 135 years after Gregor Mendel discovered laws of heredity that implied the existence of genetic factors, the Genetics Prize is awarded under the guidance of an international advisory board of distinguished genetics scientists.

Beginning in 2001, the Prize – a gold medal and unrestricted $500,000 cash award – has been awarded for fundamental insights in the field of genetics. These may include original discoveries in genetic function, regulation, transmission, and variation, as well as in genomic organization.

OFFICIAL GRUBER GENETICS PRIZE NOMINATION 

INSTRUCTIONS:
Please follow all instructions, otherwise the nomination will be deemed incomplete and invalid.

All materials must be submitted in English.
Please provide all information requested on the form.
Nominations must be accompanied by a curriculum vitae. PLEASE DO NOT ATTACH A FULL LIST OF PUBLICATIONS, as on the nomination form we request a list of one to five key journal references that illustrate the nominee's contributions to the field.
Nominations must be accompanied by at least 2 letters of support from individuals outside of the nominee's own institution or research group (may be sent by nominator or by author)
Nominations need not be on the actual nomination form, but must be presented precisely in the order and format as prescribed on the form and be accompanied by all supporting documents.
We prefer that all nominations are submitted electronically. In the event that this is impossible, please print and complete the Genetics Prize Nomination Form and fax or mail it to the address below. Viewing the form requires the free Adobe Reader - click for download page.

Nomination forms, curricula vitae, letters of support or any other documents related to a nomination may be emailed to nominations@gruberprizes.org if problems are encountered with the web-based nomination system.

Please address any nominations-related correspondence to:
Nominations
Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation
140 W 57th St Suite 10C
New York, NY 10019 USA
or
email to: nominations@gruberprizes.org
or
fax to (212) 247-8549

Sarnoff Fellowship Program — Research Training for Medical Students

Eligibility
The Sarnoff Fellowship Program offers medical students enrolled in accredited U.S. medical schools the opportunity to spend a year conducting intensive work in a biomedical research laboratory in the United States, other than the medical school in which they are enrolled.

Fellows are selected on the basis of a national competition. Sarnoff seeks individuals with demonstrated intellectual and academic achievement, as well as leadership ability. The Sarnoff Foundation funds up to 20 Fellows per year.

Fellows generally have completed their second or third year of medical school. Although applicants may have prior research experience, applications are also encouraged from students without extensive prior research experience. Applicants enrolled in an MD/PhD program will not be eligible for a Sarnoff Fellowship.

There are no citizenship requirements for application, but those who are not U.S. citizens must have and maintain an appropriate visa. The Foundation will not handle visa matters for applicants.

Stipend and Benefits
Fellowship awardees receive these benefits:

* $27,500 stipend for the 2008-09 Fellowship year
* Allowance up to $7,000 for travel to select a Preceptor and Fellowship laboratory, moving expenses, health insurance and computer equipment
* Financial support to attend the Sarnoff Annual Scientific meetings, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, and NIH Clinical Investigator Student Trainee Forum
* Funds for travel to present a paper, based on Fellowship research, at two national conferences

Application Schedule and Information
Competitions are held annually. The application deadline for the 2009-10 Sarnoff Fellowship Program is January 7, 2009. Applications for the 2009-10 Sarnoff Fellowship Program will be available online in September 2008.

Each applicant must submit the following:

* One-page personal statement describing scholarly interests and career plans
* Three-page essay on the applicant's cardiovascular topic of interest
* Completed application form and signed statement of confidentiality
* Official medical school transcript
* Curriculum vitae
* Recommendation from the applicant's Sponsor
* Two additional recommendations
* Any other material that the applicant determines is appropriate to support the application

For more information contact:

Dana Boyd, Executive Director
Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation
731 Walker Road, Suite G-2
Great Falls, VA 22066

Phone: 703-759-7600
E-mail: dboyd@SarnoffFoundation.org

Fellowship Location
We strongly encourage students to spend the Fellowship year at an institution in the United States other than their medical school, but recognize that, for some, leaving their home institution could present a significant hardship. Requests for exceptions to this policy will be considered based on personal reasons and availability of suitable laboratories.

Selection of Preceptor
The Preceptor provides an appropriate research project and oversees the Fellow's research training. It is not necessary for the applicant to have developed a research project or to have identified potential Preceptors at the time of application.

The Fellow is assigned an Advisor from the Sarnoff Scientific Committee. The Advisor assists the Fellow in selecting a Preceptor who can direct a project in the area of the Fellow's interest, which must be broadly within the cardiovascular or cerebrovascular sciences.

Fellows are encouraged to visit several laboratories and to meet with several prospective Preceptors prior to selecting the Preceptor. The Scientific Committee Advisor approves the Fellow's choice of laboratory and takes an active role in monitoring the Fellow's progress during the research year. This includes a site visit to meet with the Fellow and the Preceptor once the research is underway.

Fellow Evaluation and Selection
The Sarnoff Foundation seeks individuals with demonstrated intellectual and academic achievement, as well as leadership potential. The Scientific Committee places major emphasis on:

* The applicant's interest in a career in research, as documented by a personal statement;
* The quality of the applicant's essay and the ability to discuss the research topic; and
* Likelihood of providing the applicant with an intensive, rewarding research experience.

Key Elements of Sarnoff Fellowship
The cornerstone of the Sarnoff Fellowship is the special interaction between the medical student and the laboratory Preceptor with scientific and mentoring expertise. This close relationship, developed during the course of the Fellowship, and continuing throughout the Fellow's career, is enhanced by additional interactions with the Sarnoff Scientific Committee and Sarnoff Alumni. These experiences cultivate a life-long appreciation and enthusiasm for cardiovascular investigation, leading many to choose a career in cardiovascular research. The Foundation's investment in the Sarnoff Fellow is life-long.

Expectations of Awardees
During the year in the laboratory, the Sarnoff Fellow will undertake his/her own research project and assume responsibility for it from inception to completion. The Fellow is expected, with guidance, to develop the hypothesis and specific aims of the project, to participate in the experimental design, to carry out appropriate experiments, to interpret the data with the help of his/her Preceptor, and to prepare an original manuscript for submission to an appropriate peer-reviewed journal. Each Fellow presents his/her results at the Sarnoff Foundation's Annual Scientific Meeting, as well as at appropriate national meetings.

Examples of Cardiovascular Research
The Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, like the American Heart Association, takes a broad view of cardiovascular research. Examples include:

* Molecular and cellular investigations related to cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology, neural control of cardiovascular function, cell transport and metabolism, cellular electrophysiology and ion channels, and excitationcontraction coupling
* Molecular and cellular biology of cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle
* Regulation of cell growth, growth factors, cell cycle genes, programmed cell death, cell surface and nuclear receptors, gene transcription, and molecular signaling Vascular biology, lipoproteins and lipid metabolism, endothelial and smooth muscle cell biology, inflammation, cytokines, cell adhesion, regulation of extracellular matrix, and regulation of thrombosis and platelet function
* Angiogenesis
* Clinical investigations related to atherosclerosis and arterial injury, arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities, cardiac failure and myocardial preservation, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and thrombosis
* Animal models of cardiovascular disease
* Cardiovascular imaging
* Molecular and human genetics
* Transplant biology
* Cardiovascular surgery
* Biomedical engineering