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Patient Care and Research


Application Period: The application period for this award is now closed. Please check again in October for the 2024 application dates.

The ASTRO Medical Student Fellowship Award for Underrepresented Populations (formerly the Minority Summer Fellowship Award) introduces medical students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine (URM) to the discipline of radiation oncology early in their medical education. For the purposes of this program, races and ethnicities that have been identified as URM include but are not limited to American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.

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.

Congratulations to the 2023 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 $5,000 package that includes:

  • $3,000 stipend for an eight-week training program
  • $1,000 upon submission of the final report
  • $1,000 toward travel expenses related to the 2024 ASTRO Annual Meeting*

 *Award winners must submit an abstract related to their research fellowship project to receive complimentary Annual Meeting registration.


2023 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 program schedule for the 2023 MSF Program.

Application and Awardee Selection
December 14, 2022 Application opens
February 16, 2023 Application site closes
February 24 - March 17, 2023 Application review and awardee selection period
Late March 2023 2023 MSF Awardees notified
Program Activities
May 2023 2023 MSF Awardee Welcome Event for Awardees and Mentors
June through August Virtual check-in meetings
December 2023 Final Research reports due
January 2024 Virtual check-in meeting – ASTRO 2024 abstract submission prep for awardees and mentors
February 2024 ASTRO 2024 abstract submissions due
June 2024 ASTRO 2024 Annual Meeting registration site opens; MSF fellows receive complimentary registration
August 2024 Virtual check-in meeting – ASTRO 2024 Annual Meeting prep for students and mentors
October 2024 Attendance at 2024 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.

 


Supported by an education grant from Varian, A Siemens Healthineers Company