About the Fellowship

The Translational Research Fellowship provides 2 years of salary support at the NIH postdoctoral pay scale, plus a total of $2,500 in funds for travel or training-related expenses. Fellows must devote at least 75% effort to research. Fellows may supplement their stipend with up to 25% effort towards clinical work, if such work is in alignment with the research and career development plan. Time devoted to clinical work must be funded by the institution.

Fellowship Opportunities for 2023 

Eligibility

Eligible fellowship applicants will have a DVM or equivalent and have completed an AVMA-approved veterinary residency before the start of the fellowship. Fellows must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

How to Apply

  1. Review the menu of training opportunities on the COHA website. Opportunities will be updated each August for a start date the following fall. Training is offered at one of 15 CTSA One Health Alliance schools of veterinary medicine and/or medicine.
  2. Contact the primary mentor directly to discuss suitability for submitting a joint full proposal for fellowship funding.'

Applicants may also assemble a fellowship training plan with a group of mentors that are not listed on the menu; however, training must be provided at a COHA member institution and the assembled team should be interdisciplinary (a mix of DVM, MD, PhD, MPH or other degrees), possess a strong history of mentorship, and have NIH (or equivalent) extramural funding within the identified area of training. Only one fellowship application from a primary mentor or mentor group is allowed per application year.

Application Components

The full application should have the following components:

  • A brief research plan with specific aims that leverage the strengths of disease in companion or other domestic animals to answer questions relevant to human health. The plan should include a brief summary of methods used, outcomes measured, and potential problems/alternative approaches. (2 pages)
  • A candidate letter of intent that addresses how the fellowship training will advance their career goals. (1-2 pages)
  • A primary mentor letter describing the training environment for the identified fellow (more detailed training plans can be provided in the IDP, below). The letter should describe the contributions and planned interactions of the mentor team, as well as previous mentoring experiences. The letter should also document the funding source dedicated to the proposed research, the plan for training the fellow in the Responsible Conduct of Research, whether other formal coursework is planned, and institutional support for any associated tuition fees. (2 pages)
  • An individual development and training plan (IDP) for the two-year program created by the trainee and the primary mentor, including involvement in CTSA-based workshops (e.g. grant writing, K award preparation, team science), and plans for data presentation at a national or international conference that reaches a broad translational audience. Download IDP form >
  • The candidate’s and all mentors’ updated NIH biosketches (4 page limit each), including active and pending research support. Please highlight active or pending NIH support for any member of the mentor team. Preference will be given to mentor teams with active NIH funding for the fellowship period.
  • Letters of support for the candidate’s potential as a clinician-scientist (2). 
  • Institutional letter acknowledging Institutional Responsibilities outlined below.

Institutional Responsibilities

Below are the institutional responsibilities associated with hosting a COHA Translational Research fellow:

  1. The primary faculty mentor at each receiving institution will act as a subaward recipient Principal Investigator and will oversee the fellow and ensure performance progress.
  2. The subaward institution agrees to appoint the selected fellow with funds provided for stipend/salary support and health insurance costs, provided at a fixed rate of 20% of stipend. A $2,500 travel allocation will also be available for the fellow’s use across the 2-year appointment period. 
  3. Funds are in direct support of fellowship costs only, and no indirect costs will be applied to the fellowship funding.
  4. The institution receiving the fellowship subaward is responsible for providing documentation of required protocols and/or regulatory compliance approval for any human subjects, animal protocol or biosafety clearances related to the fellowship training project. These clearances must be provided back to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for review and further approval by NCATS if required.
  5. The host institution must confirm compliance with the PHS/DHHS conflict of interest policy prior to initiation of the fellowship performance period.  Both the mentor and the fellow must provide documentation of compliance with the DHHS/PHS conflict of interest policy within thirty days of the fellowship start date.

Deadline for Submission

The full application should be assembled into a single PDF, and submitted to Dr. Lauren Trepanier at [email protected]. DEADLINE has been EXTENDED to FRIDAY January 27, 2023.

Application Review & Decisions

Full fellowship applications will be reviewed by the COHA Clinician Scientist Education Subcommittee. Funding decisions will be announced In February 2022 for an August/September 2022 start date.

All regulatory compliance documents (approved IACUC or IRB protocols, consent forms, and human clinical trial protections if applicable), must be approved by the research training institution and reviewed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison (home of the U01 award) prior to the fellow start date.

Two to four  2-year fellowships will be funded to start each year, beginning in the fall of 2020 through the fall of 2023, for total of 12 fellows.

Questions?

For questions or clarifications, please contact: