The ASTRO Minority Summer Fellowship Award introduces medical students from backgrounds that are
under-represented 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 provide medical students with an experience designed to expose students to clinical, basic and translational research questions in radiation oncology. Members of ASTRO’s Committee on Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are assigned as liaisons to past and present Minority Summer Fellowship awardees to check in periodically throughout the year, gain feedback on the fellowship experience and help provide a mentorship opportunity as awardees advance in their training and enter into radiation oncology.
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 co-mentor, if there is one) should be an ASTRO member.
- Research must be initiated at a North American institution during the summer of 2019.
- 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 fund the project.
The ASTRO Minority Summer Fellowship Grant will offer two students a $4,500 package that includes a $3,500 stipend for the eight-week training program (exceptions can be made for a longer program and will need to be approved by ASTRO’s Committee on Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, or "CHEDI") and $1,000 toward the cost of travel to the 2020 Annual Meeting.
May 2019
The awardee will receive a direct payment of $2,500 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 the mentor.
January 2020
After CHEDI reviews and approves the awardee's final report, the awardee will receive an additional $1,000. Final reports must be received by Friday, December 6, 2019 (more details are provided in the application). Awardees who submit reports later than the deadline (unless pre-approved by CHEDI) will not receive this additional $1,000.
The awardee must also submit an abstract to the 2020 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 2020 Annual Meeting; complimentary registration will be provided whether or not the abstract is accepted for presentation/inclusion.
Fall 2020
An additional $1,000 will be granted to help offset travel expenses to and from the 2020 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 he or she submitted, regardless of whether or not the abstract is actually accepted for presentation/inclusion.