Applying to the Fellowship and Career Development Program

Please note that only the PDF-AANF Clinician-Scientist Development Award is currently open for applications.  See below for more information on PDF's other grant programs, or browse our Application FAQ.

PDF's Research Program offers several different grants to encourage young scientists, clinicians and students to devote their talents to the study of Parkinson’s.

Learn more about the Fellowship and Career Development training tracks:

 PDF Sponsored Fellowships

• Postdoctoral Fellowships for Basic Scientists 
• Postdoctoral Fellowships for Neurologists 
• Summer Student Fellowships 

PDF Co-Sponsored Fellowships

• PDF-AANF Clinician-Scientist Development Award
• PDF-PSG Mentored Clinical Research Award
  

 

Postdoctoral Fellowships for Basic Scientists

The 2011 application period for this program will open November 15, 2010.  Applications will be due February 1, 2011.

Program Overview

The Postdoctoral Fellowships for Basic Scientists are one-year fellowships for young scientists, fresh from their Ph.D. training, to study at major research institutions. 

This program grants funding in the amount of $40,000 for one year as well as a research allowance of $5,000 to be used at the discretion of the Fellow, with approval of the sponsor/mentor, to pay for such items as books, training courses, travel costs (up to $2,000) or a computer. There is no provision for the deduction of postdoctoral taxes, institutional overhead or fees. However, if the Fellow submits a written request, $3,000 of the research allowance may be used to defray the cost of premiums for health insurance.

Fellows may competitively reapply for continued funding after their first year for a total of three years of support.  In these instances, a progress report of the current research would be due along with the new application.

Eligibility & Restrictions

The applicant must have completed a Ph.D. or M.D. and must identify a research mentor who will serve as mentor for the fellow and supervisor of the research.

Application Instructions & Deadlines

Applying

All applications must be submitted online through the PDF website; no paper copies will be accepted. Submissions for this program are normally due by early February.  Individuals interested in applying in the future can view PDF's 2010 application instructions and checklist document for reference.

Download Application Instructions and Checklist

Review & Decisions

All proposals are peer-reviewed and competitively ranked based upon scientific merit and impact upon Parkinson’s disease.  Final decisions are expected by mid-May 2011.  First year funding will commence July 1, 2011 and end June 30, 2012.

Reporting Requirements

Applicants who successfully receive PDF funding for their research are required to identify the Parkinson's Disease Foundation as a source of support in all published works and presentations.  Three copies of any such papers are to be forwarded to grants@pdf.org.

PDF requires the fellowship recipient to account for all expenditures.

In instances where the researcher would want to file a consecutive application for fellowship, a preliminary report of the current research would be due along with the new application.

 

Postdoctoral Fellowships for Neurologists

The 2011 application period for this program will re-open November 15, 2010.  Applications will be due February 1, 2011.

Program Overview

For young clinicians who have completed their neurology residency and are seeking clinical research experience, PDF offers the Postdoctoral Fellowships for Neurologists, one-year awards in the amount of $55,000.

Similar to the Fellowship for Basic Scientists, a research allowance of $5,000 may be used at the discretion of the Fellow, with approval of the mentor, to pay for such items as books, training courses, travel costs (up to $2,000) or a computer. There is no provision for the deduction of postdoctoral taxes, institutional overhead or fees. However, if the Fellow submits a written request, $3,000 of the research allowance may be used to defray the cost of premiums for health insurance.

Fellows may competitively reapply for continued funding after their first year for a total of three years of support.  In these instances, a progress report of the current research would be due along with the new application.

Eligibility & Restrictions

Applicants seeking a Postdoctoral Fellowship for Neurologists must have an M.D. and be completing or have completed a neurology residency.  Applicants may not have their own lab. 

Application Instructions & Deadlines

Applying

All applications must be submitted online through the PDF website; no paper copies will be accepted.  Submissions for this program are normally due by early February.  Individuals interested in applying in the future can view PDF's 2010 application instructions and checklist document for reference.

Download Application Instructions and Checklist

Review & Decisions

All proposals are peer-reviewed and competitively ranked based upon scientific merit and its impact upon Parkinson’s disease.  Final decisions are expected by mid-May 2011.  First year funding will commence July 1, 2011 and end June 30, 2012.

Reporting Requirements

Applicants who successfully receive PDF funding for their research are required to identify the Parkinson's Disease Foundation as a source of support in all published works and presentations.  Three copies of any such papers are to be forwarded to grants@pdf.org.

PDF requires the fellowship recipient to account for all expenditures.

In instances where the researcher would want to file a consecutive application for fellowship, a preliminary report of the current research would be due along with the new application.

 

Summer Student Fellowships

The 2011 application period for this program will re-open November 15, 2010.  Applications will be due January 21, 2011.

PDF’s Summer Fellowship Program is used to support students – from advanced undergraduates to graduate and medical students – in their pursuit of Parkinson's-related summer research projects.  The goal of the Summer Fellowship is to cultivate an early interest in Fellows into the cause(s) and possible treatments for Parkinson's disease.

Fellows work under the close supervision of a sponsor who is an expert in the Parkinson's community and oversees the project.  Typically, summer fellowships are offered for 10 weeks of laboratory work with an award of $3,000.

Eligibility

Undergraduate students, graduate students and medical students are all eligible for summer fellowships.  Each applicant must identify a mentor, with whom he or she will conduct the proposed project.

Application Instructions, Deadlines & Start Dates

Applying

The application period for Summer Student Fellowships is now closed.  Successful applicants will be notified in mid-May of PDF's decisions.  PDF's funding cycle runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. 

Individuals interested in applying to this program in the future can review the 2010 application form for reference.  Please note that this program does not utilize PDF's online grants application system.  Applications can be emailed or mailed to PDF, per the instructions listed on the application form.

A COMPLETE application will consist of the following five items:

• The application form, completed.
• Brief, two-page proposal describing the research plan (written by applicant in conjunction with mentor).
• Copy of the student’s academic transcript.
• Letter by the applicant, describing their qualifications for the research and relevance to their career/research interests.
• Letter of support, under separate cover (email or regular mail), signed by the research investigator under whom the applicant plans to work, discussing qualifications of the student, affirming that facilities will be available and agreeing to actively guide the student’s work.

Note: Incorrect or incomplete applications will be rejected without comment.

Download 2010 Summer Fellowship Application.

Review & Decisions

Applications are judged based on the project description and feasibility, background of student, and appropriateness of the mentor.  Final decisions are expected by mid-May 2010. PDF will contact all candidates at that time.

 

PDF-AANF Clinician-Scientist Development Award

In 2007, PDF and the American Academy of Neurology Foundation (AANF) collaborated to create the Clinician-Scientist Development Award to support our mutual interest in training outstanding residency-level clinicians in the field of Parkinson's disease. 

Successful applicants will receive a three-year award that consists of an annual salary of $75,000 plus $5,000 in educational expenses per year.  This award supports three years of research training in an environment where talented young clinicians address problems in Parkinson's disease with the most current scientific tools.  It is expected that upon completion of the program, participants will be committed to a research or combined clinical/research career in PD and will be in line to direct robust research programs relevant to PD.

To learn more in detail about this award and to apply, download instructions.

Eligibility & Guidelines:

• Applicants must hold an M.D., D.O., or equivalent clinical degree from an accredited institution.
• Applicants must have completed residency training but be less than seven years from completion of residency when funding begins.
• There is no citizenship requirement; however, the individual applying for the award must be licensed to practice medicine in the United States at the time of application.
• May only submit one application per department. The department is considered to be the one at which the applicant’s training and research program will occur.
• Each applicant must agree to a phone interview with a member of the PDF-AANF Advisory Committee, if necessary, during the application review period.

Deadlines & Starting Dates

The deadline for this award is Friday, October 1, 2010.

Application Instructions, Deadlines & Start Dates

Applying

All applicants must submit their materials through the AANF website.

Applicants will be asked to submit one complete set of the following application materials via the AANF website:

• Letter of nomination from the chair of the Department of Neurology, including assurance that clinical service responsibilities will be restricted to no more than 20 percent of the awardee’s time.
• Three-page research plan, including brief statement of aims, background, and the contemplated approaches to methodology and data.  The research plan should be written by the applicant and should represent his or her original work.  However, the applicant is expected and encouraged to develop this plan based on discussion with the proposed mentor.  It is appropriate for the proposed work to be specifically related to the mentor’s ongoing research, but not required.
• Current curriculum vitae.
• Two letters of reference supporting the applicant’s potential for a clinical academic research career and qualifications for the fellowship.  Letters of reference are in addition to the three-page research plan.
• Listing of the applicant’s and mentor’s current and pending support, other than this fellowship, using NIH format.
• Letter from proposed mentor detailing his or her support of and commitment to the applicant and the proposed research and training plan.  The letter should specifically indicate the mentor’s role in the development and preparation of the applicant's research plan.  Letter should describe: 1) How the proposed research fits into the mentor’s research program; 2) Expertise and experience in the area of research proposed and the nature of the mentor’s proposed time commitment to the supervision and training of the applicant; 3) Mentor’s prior experience in the supervision, training, and successful mentoring of clinician-scientists; 4) Potential for applicant’s future research career and comparison of applicant amongst other residents; 5) More than one mentor is permitted.  One mentor should be designated as primary and be responsible for administrative issues.  Proposed mentor’s NIH Biosketch.
• Document describing arrangements for formal course work to include: quantitative clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, study design, data analysis, and ethics. Documentation must outline: 1) Hours and content of the proposed formal instruction; 2) Availability of tutorial assistance for the research project; 3) Computer approaches to statistical analysis at the host institution

Apply Now

Review & Decisions

Applicants will be notified about the status of their applications in January 2011.  Applications are evaluated by members of the Clinical Research Subcommittee, Translational Neuroscience Subcommittee, and various ad-hoc reviewers based on the following criteria:

• Applicant’s ability and promise as a clinician-scientist based on previous training and career plan, letters of reference, and curriculum vitae (30 percent)
• Quality and nature of the training to be provided and the institutional, departmental, and mentor-specific training environment (30 percent)
• Quality and originality of the research plan (40 percent)

Evaluations will be forwarded to the AANF Research Council for final determination of the award. Funding begins within 30 days after executing a signed agreement with the AANF and the recipient’s institution.

Reporting Requirements

An annual progress report is due in May of the first year. Renewal of the award in year two and three is contingent upon review and approval of the progress report. Additionally, a final research report and a final expenditure report are due within 60 days following the close of the grant term. The institution must prepare the final expenditure report.

 

PDF-PSG Mentored Clinical Research Award

The 2010 application period for this program is now closed.

Program Overview

The Mentored Clinical Research Award (MCRA) for new investigators is funded by a grant from the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) to the Parkinson Study Group (PSG). The grant supports new investigators for a one-year project in patient oriented research in Parkinson’s disease or other parkinsonian disorders under the mentorship of an experienced investigator. The goal of the award is to provide funding for an investigator who has the potential to become an independent researcher.

For the current application period, n annual salary of $75,000 plus $5,000 in educational expenses, per year. Only direct costs will be funded by this award.

Eligibility & Restrictions

Applicants for the MCRA should be clinicians and scientists who are within five years of having completed formal training. Fellows may apply. Applicants must identify an appropriate mentor or mentors with extensive research experience. Either the applicant or the mentor must be a member of the PSG.

Application Instructions & Deadlines

Applying

Proposals for the MCRA should submitted electronically on or before Friday, March 26, 2010 to be considered for funding.  Please note that this is a collaborative fellowship and for this program, applicants cannot use PDF's online grant management system.  Instead, applicants should submit an electronic copy of the proposal in Microsoft Word to the PSG to Roseanna.Battista@ctcc.rochester.edu with a cover note that includes the candidate’s name and the title of proposal.

Proposals should be hypothesis driven and amenable to completion in a one year time period. The proposal should be directed toward patient oriented research in Parkinson’s disease or related parkinsonian disorders.

All applications for this fellowship should include the following elements:

• The focus of the proposal must relate to an area of importance in the field.
• A research proposal (5 pages in length) including an abstract, specific aims, background and significance, preliminary studies and experimental designs and methods;
• A clear description of the educational plan that will be implemented to educate the candidate in development of appropriate research methodology under the direction of the mentor;
• A statement of the qualification of the mentor(s) to guide the research program.

Proposals requirements:

• An electronic copy of the proposal in Microsoft Word or pdf-format. 
• The candidate’s proposal should be formatted according to the guidelines indicated in the “toolkit” available on the PSG website: http://www.parkinson-study-group.org/PSGToolkit.asp; 
• However, the research plan itself should not exceed 5 pages. The candidate should also include a 4-page NIH-style biosketch and other support statement for both the applicant and the mentor(s);
• The proposal should include a statement from the mentor(s) including information on research qualifications. The statement should include the nature of the supervision that will occur during the award period and an agreement to provide mentorship to the candidate for the award period. The mentor must include information on what skills they plan to teach the mentee and how previous fellows they mentored are contributing to Parkinson’s research (if applicable);
• A budget and brief budget justification are required for all funds requested.  No indirect costs will be funded.
• The funding request should not exceed $75,000.
• Clinical research proposals need not be pre-approved by institutional IRB, but should include a Human Studies section that addresses concerns pertaining to risk, benefit and consent (not included in the 5 page limit).
• Revised applications should include an Introduction of not more than one page that describes how the applicant has responded to the reviewers’ criticisms.

Review & Decisions

Proposals received within the specified time frame will be reviewed by the PSG Mentoring Committee. Applicants will be notified of the results by May 21, 2010.  Funding will begin on July 1, 2010 and continue until June 30, 2011.

Reporting Requirements

Successful applicants will be required to submit a short written summary of progress at six months and at one year after funding and attend the annual PSG meeting to present the results of the research done during their fellowship year. The meeting expense will be supported by the PSG separately from the grant award.