Pilot Program for the Rheumatology Fellowship Training Award/American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation/Amgen/Pfizer Rheumatology Fellowship Training Award
The American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation is soliciting applications for a pilot program to provide increased support for rheumatology fellows in training. The current mechanism for support includes a one-year stipend of $25,000 for fellows in clinical training. In response to recommendations from Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program Directors and the ACR Committee on Workforce and Training Issues, the REF has created a pilot program for the Rheumatology Fellowship Training Award. The pilot program will provide two $50,000 grants to begin July 1, 2011.
Applications Due August 2, 2010
Notice of Award December 1, 2010
Funding Begins July 1, 2011
This program has been designed to specifically address three goals, listed below in priority order:
1) Creation of a new fellowship position, preferably one that was previously ACGME-accredited but was unfilled due to lack of sufficient fellow salary funding
2) Increasing the number of underrepresented minority* trainees within rheumatology
3) Providing a slot committed to trainees with a high likelihood of pursuing an academic rheumatology career
*For purposes of this pilot program, “underrepresented minority within rheumatology” shall mean Black, Hispanic, or Native American (that is, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians).
Applicants must meet at least one of the three objectives described above in order to be considered for the pilot program. The pilot program will continue over the next 2 cycles as the Foundation evaluates the efficacy of the increase in funding. All participants in the pilot program will be required to submit detailed reports about the status of the funded fellow and the success of the program with respect to the goals up to 10 years post-award.
Interested applicants may apply for both the pilot award and the ACR REF/Amgen/Pfizer Rheumatology Fellowship Training Award; however applicants must submit two separate and complete applications and only one award will be given per training program. If a program receives the pilot award, the program cannot receive the ACR REF/Amgen/Pfizer Rheumatology Fellowship Training Award in the same round.
Applicants must submit a complete application by the deadline that includes a detailed letter clearly describing the training program and how it plans to meet at least one of the three programmatic goals and specific objectives outlined above. More detailed information on what to include in your application may be found on the REF Web site.
Please visit the Web site at www.rheumatology.org/REF for more information and to access and download the Request for Applications with complete instructions.
