Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) Clinical Research Fellowships
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The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) Clinical Research Fellowship program for medical students at UCSF is a one-year mentored clinical research opportunity designed to span a broad range of research ranging from bench laboratory science to clinical and translational science, epidemiology and outcomes research. We define clinical and translational research as research designed to address a question of clinical importance. The program is designed to be flexible and will be tailored to meet the needs of each student.
UCSF offers excellent resources for student researchers:
- NIH-funded Clinical Research Centers (CRCs)
- Medical centers that serve different segments of the San Francisco Bay Area population
- Over 60 organized research units (ORUs) centered on specific diseases and populations; access to a wide variety of local, state-wide and national databases and research cohorts
- Excellent graduate programs in basic research
Program Structure
The DDCF program is structured so that the student will have some didactic training throughout the year while they work in parallel to develop, perform and analyze the results of their study. The didactic training consists of two options:
- Clinical Research Workshop (CRW) offers a set of three summer courses that train scientists in the skills needed to plan and conduct clinical research; critique and interpret the research of others; identify and resolve ethical dilemmas; and write a successful proposal. Each student will work with his or her mentorship team to create a 5-page, NIH R01-style research proposal.
- Traditional Advanced Training in Clinical Research (ATCR), which is non-credit-bearing, incorporates classes on biostatistics, epidemiology and ethics into a cohesive series of lectures and small group seminars. This curriculum will provide further training in the planning and conduct of clinical research, as well as the analysis, interpretation and formal presentation of study results.
During the course of the year, the students will also have a series of other regular activities, including bi-weekly Works-in-Progress (WIP) seminars, inter-professional Journal Club meetings, and guest faculty lecturers.
- There are many other basic and clinical research seminars and journal clubs on campus and students will be free to choose those of greatest interest to him or her
During the last two months of the program, students will begin to analyze the data that they have collected up to that point in time and prepare them for a written report and oral presentation. The final oral presentations will be given at the annual student research symposium on campus. Students may present their data at other student/fellow research meetings as well, including a national meeting for DDCF medical student fellows, which is a requirement of the program.
Support
An annual stipend of $28,000 is provided to each fellow. In addition, funds are available to support the conduct of the research study. Tuition for any a-la-carte or additional courses will come from the students allotted research funds. Funds for relocation are provided, as are travel funds to the national DDCF conference and the Clinical Investigator Student Trainee Forum (CIST) meeting at the NIH campus.
Application Process
Please note that research projects using animals is strictly prohibited by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
If you are a UCSF medical student and you plan to apply only to the one-year research fellowship at UCSF, you should apply through the RAP'tr website. If you are a UCSF medical student and plan to apply to non-UCSF DDCF programs for the one-year clinical research fellowship program, you should apply to those schools through the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Initially, interested students MUST complete a non-binding Letter of Intent by December 2, 2011. Additionally, interested students must complete the Doris Duke Common Application Package. The deadline is January 12, 2012. Please note: we do not interview applicants.
Items 1-6 below are to be submitted online when you submit the Doris Duke Common Application Package.
- Completion of online common application
- A letter of support from the Dean's office of the medical school in which you are currently matriculated.
- Two letters of support from faculty who can comment on your academic performance and potential for clinical research
- A personal statement (Why you want to do research)
- A copy of your curriculum vitae
- A copy of your medical school transcript
UCSF Supplemental Application Requirements: The online Supplemental Application Form is REQUIRED and must be received by 5:00pm (PST) on January 17, 2012.
The required supplemental application materials include the following:
- Research Plan Title (should not exceed 255 characters, including spaces)
- Research Plan Summary (should not exceed 250 words, or approximately 1/3 of a single spaced page)
- Research Proposal (limited to 2,100 words or less or approximately three single-spaced pages. The plan should be divided into three sections: a) Research question, b) Background, and c) Study design) (You should work closely with your mentor on writing the research plan).
- Research Plan Citations (should not exceed 700 words, or approximately one single-spaced page)
- Mentor Endorsement This portion of the supplemental application form must be completed by the proposed mentor(s).
- See the list of available mentors. Students are not limited to those listed here, however, but proposed mentors must be UCSF Faculty.
Detailed instructions are provided for each of the first six items listed above required by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in the Common Application Package. Read the FAQs before starting to prepare your application for helpful guidance on questions about the program, application process and eligibility, as well as for students who are considering applying to schools at which they are not matriculated.