Skip to main content

Application Information

Applications are currently being accepted for 2024. Applications are due by March 5, 2024. Please reach out to Alex Duncan with any questions.

Nominations of eligible applicants from UNC SOM clinical departments are requested annually in the spring for support to begin in July for the academic year. Each clinical department may nominate up to two eligible Physician-Scientist candidates for each award.

SOM PSTP is committed to supporting diversity within the Physician-Scientist workforce including support of women and members of groups historically underrepresented within the Physician-Scientist Community. Departments are encouraged to nominate candidates from these groups for consideration.

Individuals interested in applying for this award should consult with their Department Chair of Vice Chair for Research to learn about their department’s specific procedure for determining its nominees.

Eligibility Criteria

Resident / Faculty Applicants
  • MD or equivalent degree
  • Licensed or qualified to become licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina
  • Commitment from home department to provide at least 50% protected time for research and fund difference between SOM PSTP funds and actual stipend / salary
  • Must have scientific mentor and project plan in place
  • May be clinical trainees (GME residents, or GME or non-GME clinical fellowship trainees with specialty training program that allow for protected research time) or postdoctoral fellows / clinical instructors (with a clinical degree and completion of clinical training program in an American Board of Medical Specialties discipline) at time of application
Faculty Applicants
  • MD or equivalent degree
  • Licensed or qualified to become licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina
  • Commitment from home department to provide at least 50% protected time for research and fund difference between SOM PSTP funds and actual stipend / salary
  • Must have scientific mentor and project plan in place
  • Must be currently at UNC or committed to start at UNC as an Assistant Professor at the start of the funding period
  • Have held a faculty position (clinical instructor of assistant professor) for less than 2 years. Some exceptions for applicants with longer times of faculty member can be considered by the review committee
  • If in an Instructor position at time of application, the Department Chair must commit to opening an Assistant Professor position focused on research area specific to the trainee’s interest by the end of their term of support

Application Components

Resident / Fellow applications should be no longer than 3 pages
Faculty applications should be no longer than 4 pages

Specific Aims
1 page maximum – outlining the project conceptually
Background and Significance
Covering Literature in the field and preliminary data that support the approach. If the candidate has preliminary data the proposal should indicate whether data was generated by others in the mentor’s lab or directly by the applicant
Approach
Covering details of the research plan
Training Plan
½ page maximum – describe what training has been done, the current status of the applicant, the clinical and/or scientific training will be undertaken during the training period, and any additional training the applicant will seek after participating in the SOM PSTP
NIH-style Biosketch
Click here for instructions and samples
Letters of Support
Three letters are required:

  1. Candidate’s mentor who will supervise the research training while in the SOM PSTP
  2. Candidate’s chair indicating support for protected time and paying for difference between SOM PSTP funds and full stipend/salary, description of commitment to candidate as a future faculty member, and statement of other departmental resources committed to candidate.
  3. Previous mentor or other scientist familiar with the candidate’s accomplishments and promise as a future independent investigator