The Underrepresented Mental Health Research Fellowship Program

The Underrepresented Mental Health Research Fellowship Program
About the Fellowship

The Underrepresented Mental Health Research Fellowship Program (UMHRFP) is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The application for this program requires students to think through their plans for a career in NIMH-recognized mental health research. We hope that this process will help you:

1. Clearly identify your mental health research interest

2. Select a doctoral program that offers training in mental health research including: a) courses or course content in mental health offered through the school of social work and/or through other departments; b) opportunities for hands-on training with faculty doing funded mental health research; and c) strong training in research methods.

3. Identify a funded mental health researcher at the school of social work or at the university of your choice whose research agenda supports your interest.

4. Ensure that the mental health researcher is a) recognized for their work in your area of interest; b) is the recipient of substantial research funding as a result of a competitive application process, preferably from NIH/NIMH (CRISP* which is on the NIH website lists all of the researchers who have received funding from the various NIH Institutes. See http://www.crisp.cit.nih.gov/; and c) is an associate professor or above.

5. Secure a commitment from the researcher that they will be willing to mentor you.

6. Submit a copy of the mentor’s biosketch with your application.

Eligibility Requirements

Must be American citizens, non-citizen nationals, or have permanent residence status
Can include, but is not limited to, persons who are American Indian/Alaskan Native; Asian/Pacific Islander (e.g. Chinese, East Indian, South Asian, Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Samoan); Black; and Hispanic (e.g. Mexican/Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American, South American
Must have a master’s degree in social work and be starting full-time study leading to a doctoral degree in social work or be currently enrolled as full-time students in a doctoral social work program
Should demonstrate potential and interest in mental health research, potential for success in doctoral studies, and commitment to a career in mental health research

Award

Monthy stipends for a 1-year period to help defray living expenses; tuition support is provided according to the NIH tuition formula
Duration of award is 3 years contingent upon funding and if the fellow maintains satisfactory progress towards degree objectives
Application deadline is February 28th.