Purpose
To support the final year of research training in pediatric endocrinology for highly qualified individuals preparing for a career in academic pediatric endocrinology. Both clinical and basic research projects are eligible.

Qualification of candidate
Fellow/In Training members in good standing who are in an approved training program in Pediatric Endocrinology are eligible for the Research Fellowship Award. Applicants must have medical degree. Those with career plans in North America are favored. Both third year fellows and fourth year fellows (who do not have a faculty appointment) are invited to apply.

Sponsor/Mentor
Two letters of support are required and should be submitted with the application. One must be from the Training Program Director (Sponsor) and the other from the Research Mentor (individual supervising the research project) who is an established investigator with a record of extramural research support. If one individual plays both roles, the second letter should be from the Head of the applicant's Scholarship Oversight Committee (Co-Sponsor). The Research Mentor must verify funding availability for support of the research project.

Amount of Award
A one-year stipend of $50,000 to cover salary and fringe benefits of the Fellow and travel to the annual PES meeting. Salary support for the fellowship awardee cannot be accepted from any other extramural source, but salary may be supplemented by departmental funds to meet appropriate fellowship stipends (if applicable). No funds may be held for indirect or overhead expenses by the institutions.

General Instructions for Application
The application is based generally on USPHS R23 guidelines (Individual Fellowship Application, PHS 416-1: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/416/phs416.htm ). The training and research portions (sections 3 through 5) of the Applicant Section of the application must be limited to no more than seven USPHS continuation pages (as noted below) in Arial 11-point or comparable font. An application exceeding these limits, or received after the due date will be returned to the applicant and not reviewed. The entire application should be submitted via the Society website. Applications must contain a training plan as well as a research plan. The research plan must describe how the proposed training will serve as a suitable vehicle to reach the overall career goals and for acquiring the skills, theories, conceptual approaches, and methodology necessary for an independent researcher. Review criteria will include significance of the research project, the investigator, the mentor, and the research and training environment.

Questions, please contact Christy McGinty Levine at christy@degnon.org.