Application Information

Nominations for Disease-Oriented Clinical Scholars (DOCS) awards will be reviewed by a committee of leading researchers from clinical and basic science departments. Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis, with no application deadlines. Funds will be available to select up to 5 DOCS awards each year, however, fewer awards may be granted depending on the availability of outstanding candidates.

The application will consist of the following:

Complete attached application
Budget of requested support using DOCS Program template
Candidate's CV including research publications.
Candidate's research statement. The candidate should provide a brief statement of research interests (not to exceed 3 pages), which should describe his/her past research training and the expected research plan as a DOCS awardee.
Letters of recommendation. Three letters of recommendation should be provided that comment on the candidate's research accomplishments and future promise.
Examples of candidate's publications (up to 3).
Chair letter. The department chair's letter, not to exceed 3 pages, will:
- Explain how the candidate's research will fit into the department's current and planned research enterprise
- Explain how the requested amount and timing of support is designed to optimally promote the candidate's research career development
- State the percent of the candidate's time that will be protected for research for the duration of the award
- Outline the additional support the department is prepared to offer the candidate should an award be made
- State the space and research facilities that will be assigned to the candidate to support his/her research. If appropriate, the chair should also state who will be available to serve as the candidate's research mentor and collaborators.

REVIEW CRITERIA

A rigorous, competitive review of the candidates will be based on the following criteria:

Candidate's qualifications, future promise as a leading disease-oriented basic or clinical researcher, and evidence of commitment to education and training as an investigator. This will be based on the candidate's CV and research statement, publications, letters of recommendation, and chair's nomination letter.
Evidence of departmental support, including ample protected time for research, and good fit with department's research plans.
Requested support being commensurate with need. Smaller requests will not receive favored attention compared to larger requests. However, requests that are best tailored to optimize the candidate's research career development and future success-while making the most efficient use of resources-will be considered most favorably.