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Fellowship award overview

The McLendon-Thomas Award supports scholarly research on the history of medicine that makes significant use of the rich and deep resources available in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s special collections, home to the Health Sciences History Collection which is part of the Rare Book Collection.

This fellowship supports a one-, two-, or three-month residency at Wilson Special Collections Library which must take place between June 1 and October 31, 2023. The length of the residency depends upon demonstrated need to consult special collection materials.

The award is $3,000 per month.

Fellowship eligibility

  • Full-time master’s or doctoral students
    • Enrolled in a graduate program
    • Currently working on a thesis or dissertation project on the history of medicine
  • Agree to
    • Submit a research proposal and research plan that draws deeply and substantively on the collections of the Wilson Special Collections Library
    • Commit to a full-time research residency at Wilson Library for the duration of the award
      • The residency must take place during the research year: June 1 of the year awarded to May 31 of the following spring
    • Participate in the intellectual life of the Library and the fellowship program, which includes:
      • A public presentation of research findings and experiences at the Wilson Library Research Forum
      • The submission of a brief research report
      • An invitation to present at the Bullitt History of Medicine Club lecture series

Application instructions

All applications open in December and application materials are due by midnight ET on January 31. Submit them electronically via Interfolio using the Rare Book Collection Fellowships Application.

Visit the Rare Book Collection Fellowship page for details on

  • Application materials
  • Evaluation criteria
  • Research fellowship guidelines

Awarding of funds

Fellowship awards are disbursed after the completion of a fellowship residency.  It is strongly recommended that fellows arrive with the funds necessary to support their research visit.

These Fellowships are generously supported by the Bullitt Club Founder’s Endowment Fund. You can support this fellowship by making a gift online or contacting the Library Development Office at (919) 962-4207 or librarydevelopment@unc.edu.

Questions about the fellowships program or application instructions should be directed to Matt Turi via wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.