HELEN HAY WHITNEY POSTDOCTORAL BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES FELLOWSHIP

1. Candidates who hold, or are in the final stages of obtaining a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degree and are seeking beginning postdoctoral training in basic biomedical research are eligible to apply for a fellowship. The Foundation accepts applications from candidates who have no more than ONE year of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the deadline for submitting the application (June 17, 2024), and who have received a Ph.D. (or D.Phil. or equivalent) degree no more than TWO years before the deadline, or an M.D. degree no more than THREE years before the deadline.Fellowships may be awarded to US citizens planning to work in laboratories either in the US, Canada, or abroad and also to foreign citizens for research in laboratories in the US only. We expect that most applicants will reside in North America at the time of application. Foreign Students will need to obtain appropriate visa documentation, as required by US Immigration.
2. Applications from established scientists or advanced fellows will not be considered. The fellowships are for early postdoctoral training only. Clinical house-staff training does not count as “postdoctoral laboratory training.”
3. The Foundation will not ordinarily consider applicants who plan tenure of the fellowship in the laboratory in which they have already received extensive predoctoral or postdoctoral training. The aim of the fellowship is to broaden postdoctoral training and experience, and a significant change of venue is advisable.
4. Since the number of available fellowships is limited, the Foundation does not make more than one award per year for training with a given supervisor. It also does not support more than two fellows per laboratory at one time.
5. The SAC will review no more than one application from a laboratory during each annual cycle. We will accept applications from different laboratories/supervisors at the same institution. Should we receive more than one, the Chair of the SAC will decide which of the applications appears most competitive and decline the other(s) administratively. We urge the heads of laboratories to make this choice for us, if at all possible.
6. The Foundation expects that fellowship training will be obtained in an academic setting. The selection of a commercial or industrial laboratory for the training experience is not acceptable.

No Separate Application or Fee is Required to get the scholarship, it will be automatically considered, once you enrolled for the program. The application deadline is Monday, June 17, 2024, 5:00pm EST. 2025 APPLICATION:

1. Please read the instructions carefully before attempting to complete the online application submission. Download the ‘Instructions & Guidelines’ (756kb).
2. Download the ‘Reference Letter Template’ (36kb) and forward to your four referees. This form requires submission by Monday, June 17, 2024, 5:00pm EST. All four completed reference letters should be emailed to letters@hhwf.org. No faxes. Please convert the letter to pdf format and name the pdf file according to the instructions on the ‘Reference Letter Template’. If a reference letter is comprised of multiple pages, including a cover page, please combine them into one pdf file.
3. Download form ‘Application Items 1-6’ (17kb). Upon its completion, upload it along with the other requested items.
4. Before you click on the link below for the online application, please read the complete formatting and submission instructions. IMPORTANT: The uploading of the zipped file should be done immediately following the submission of the 2-page application cover (it should NOT be uploaded at a later time or date). Online Application: Click here for ‘2025 HHWF Online Application’ If you are experiencing technical problems with our online application, please email our application’s IT administrator, dave.conorozzo@formrouter.com, AND cc Robert Weinberger at office@hhwf.org. For all non-technical application issues, only email Robert Weinberger.​​​​​​​

1. The following procedure is designed to be fair and to take into account the number of applications received in relation to the number of fellowships that can be awarded.
2. The initial step is the screening begun by the Scientific Advisory Committee as soon as all applications have been received. In this screening, the Committee selects those candidates whose applications merit a personal interview with a Committee member. Each applicant so selected is then assigned to a member of the Committee, who completes arrangements for the interview in October. Interview travel expenses from points in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are paid by the Foundation. US citizens residing abroad who are approved for an interview will be reimbursed for travel to the interview, up to an amount comparable to the transcontinental domestic airfares reimbursed for other candidates. All applicants will be advised by email of their status (declined or approved for interview).
3. All personal interview reports and applications are reviewed in context with each other at a full Scientific Advisory Committee meeting in November, and it is at this meeting that those interviewed candidates are selected to be recommended for approval by the Board of Trustees. All interviewed applicants are notified of the Committee’s decision.
4. As the last step in the procedure, the Board of Trustees votes to approve the fellowship awards, in order of priority, up to the availability of funds. Other Info Travel Expense The Foundation provides funds for travel to the fellowship location at the time of activation of the fellowship for the Fellow and his or her family. No payment is made for the transportation of household goods. The Foundation also covers travel expenses incurred for the two-day Annual Fellows Meetings held in November. Travel expenses will be reimbursed directly to the Fellow, upon submission of expense receipts. These reimbursements are in addition to the annual stipend and research allowance. Annual Meeting A two-day Annual Meeting of Fellows is held in November of each year, at which each third-year Fellow presents the results of his or her research. This meeting is an important component of the Fellowship Program because of the opportunity it provides the Fellows for scientific interchange and exposure to biomedical fields other than their own. Attendance at the meeting in its entirety is expected as a condition of acceptance of the fellowship. Competition Competition for the Helen Hay Whitney fellowships is intense. Less than 5% of those who apply to us receive awards. Please note that because of the volume of applications received, the Foundation is unable to provide critiques of unsuccessful proposals.