The application period for the 2025 Medical Student Fellowship Awards is now closed.
The ASTRO Medical Student Fellowship Award introduces medical students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine to the discipline of radiation oncology early in their medical education.
Medical students in all years are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to first- and second-year students. In an effort to promote radiation oncology as a career choice, the fellowship will expose students to clinical, basic and translational research questions in radiation oncology. Additional information on fellowship eligibility and application requirements is located below.
Learn more about the 2024 Medical Student Fellowship Award Winners
About the MSF Award
All MSF awardees will participate in collaborative research projects, receive expert advice from dedicated mentors, build professional networks with peers and radiation oncology professionals, and gain skills that will help them advance in their academic and professional careers. Award winners will receive a $6,000 package that includes:
- $4,000 stipend for an eight-week training program
- $1,000 upon submission of the final report
- $1,000 toward travel expenses related to the 2026 ASTRO Annual Meeting*
*Award winners must submit an abstract related to their research fellowship project to receive complimentary Annual Meeting registration.
ASTRO mentors whose students are selected to participate in the 2025 program will be eligible to receive the ASTRO-BCRF Medical Student Fellowship: Mentor Award. The Mentor Award includes a $2,000 mentor stipend to support mentor participation.
Learn more about the 2024 ASTRO-BCRF MSF: Mentor Award Recipients2025 MSF Application and Program Activities Timeline
Members of the Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (HEDI) Council's Workforce Diversity Committee oversee application review and awardee selection. Workforce Diversity Committee members are assigned as liaisons to each awardee to communicate on a continual basis, provide informal mentorship, receive updates and keep the awardee connected to ASTRO through various activities. Below is a tentative schedule for the 2025 MSF Program.
| Application and Awardee Selection | |
|---|---|
| December 4, 2024 | Application opens |
| February 13, 2025 | Application site closes |
| February 28 – April 4, 2025 | Application review and awardee selection period |
| Mid-April 2025 | 2025 MSF Awardees notified |
| Program Activities | |
|---|---|
| May 2025 | 2025 MSF Awardee Welcome Event for Awardees and Mentors, Mentor orientation session |
| June 20 – August 1 | Weekly webinars/check-in meetings (Friday afternoons) |
| December 2025 | Final Research reports due |
| January 2026 | Virtual check-in meeting – ASTRO 2026 abstract submission prep for awardees and mentors |
| February 2026 | ASTRO 2026 abstract submissions due |
| June 2026 | ASTRO 2026 Annual Meeting registration site opens; 2025 MSF awardees receive complimentary registration |
| August 2026 | Virtual check-in meeting – ASTRO 2026 Annual Meeting prep for 2024 MSF awardees and mentors |
| October 2026 | 2026 MSF attendance at 2026 ASTRO meeting |
Finding a Mentor
Applicants should identify a mentor of their choosing as part of the application process. Should one need assistance in identifying a mentor, the list of volunteer MSF mentors is available online.
Eligibility and Application Information
Browse eligibility criteria, application details and additional program information below.
The following requirements must be met for a trainee to be considered for the grant:
- Applicant must be enrolled in a U.S. medical school and be in good standing at the time the application is submitted.
- Applicant must identify a mentor with a successful record of research productivity.
- The primary mentor (and the co-mentor, if there is one) must be an ASTRO member.
- Research must be initiated at a North American institution during the summer of 2025.
- The selected institution must have an established research and clinical program and an ACGME-accredited radiation oncology residency program with clinical faculty available to serve as mentors.
- Letters of commitment from both the mentor and the department chair at the selected institution must accompany the application. The letter of commitment from the mentor should confirm that the institution is able to support the project.
- Trainees selected for the fellowship program will be required to apply for complimentary membership to ASTRO.
- Applications must be submitted in ProposalCentral by Thursday, February 13, 2025. Emailed, faxed or mailed applications will not be considered.
- If you need help creating a ProposalCentral account, please read the instructions.
- Once you create a ProposalCentral account, log in and click on the "Grant Opportunities" tab, then filter by Grant Maker and select ASTRO from the dropdown menu. Finally, click on the link for the Medical Student Fellowship Application and begin submitting your information.
The ASTRO Medical Student Fellowship Award will offer students a $6,000 package that includes a $4,000 stipend for an eight-week training program (exceptions can be made for a longer program but will need to be approved by the HEDI Workforce Diversity Committee), $1,000 for the completion of a final report and $1,000 toward the cost of travel for the 2026 Annual Meeting.
May - June 2025
The awardee will receive a direct payment of $4,000 paid at the beginning of the fellowship upon receipt of a confirmation letter, project timeline and completed W-9 form (awardees will be given more detailed instructions in their notification letters). ASTRO does not pay indirect costs, overhead costs or salary support for the principal or co-principal investigator and has no responsibility for support beyond that stated in this application. This support is not for mentors.
December 2025
After the HEDI Workforce Diversity Committee reviews and approves the awardee’s final report, the awardee will receive an additional $1,000. Final reports must be received by Friday, December 5, 2025 (more details are provided in the application guidelines). Awardees who submit reports later than the deadline (unless pre-approved by the HEDI Workforce Diversity Committee) will not receive this additional $1,000.
The awardee must submit an abstract to the 2026 ASTRO Annual Meeting before the abstract submission site closes. Regardless of whether or not the abstract is accepted for presentation, the awardee is expected to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting; complimentary registration will be provided whether or not the abstract is accepted for presentation/inclusion. ASTRO does not cover the abstract submission fee; it is understood that the stipend will help offset that minor cost.
Fall 2026
An additional $1,000 will be awarded toward travel expenses related to the 2026 ASTRO Annual Meeting. Specifically, the awardee will submit travel expenditures with a completed expense form and itemized receipts after attending the meeting and will be reimbursed for up to $1,000 (any additional costs are the responsibility of the awardee). ASTRO will waive the Annual Meeting registration fee for an awardee only if the awardee provides the name and control number of the abstract they submitted, regardless of whether or not the abstract is actually accepted for presentation/inclusion.
ASTRO Blog
ASTROnews
- Summer 2018: Why Mentorship Matters and Reflections from a Minority Summer Fellowship Awardee
- Winter 2017: ASTRO Minority Summer Fellowship awardee Jean-Claude Rwigema shares his experiences
- 2017 Annual Meeting Guide: ASTRO-NCI Diversity Symposium Addresses Impact of the ACA
- Winter 2015: ASTRO Minority Summer Fellowship grants stipends to medical students
