Funding Amount

The current grant level is $300,000; $75,000 per year for a four-year period.

Program Details

Based on their performance during their education and training, candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles, but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields, are encouraged to apply. Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged. Selection of the successful candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards, and publications. In evaluating the candidates, the National Advisory Committee gives considerable weight to evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has published significant work.

Review Criteria

Based on their performance during their education and training, candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health. This program does not fund clinical trials research. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied biomedical research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply.

Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged. Selection of the successful candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards, and publications. In evaluating the candidates, the National Advisory Committee gives considerable weight to evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has published significant work.

Eligibility

• Candidates must have been awarded a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine or a related field.
• As of Sept. 10, 2020, hold a full-time appointment at the rank of assistant professor. (Appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible).
• Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 15, 2017, whether or not such an appointment was on a tenure track. Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, in work toward board certification, or on parental leave does not count as part of this three-year limit. Candidates who took parental leave should contact Pew’s program office to ensure that application reviewers are aware of their circumstances.
• May apply to the program a maximum of two times. All applicants must be nominated by their institution and must complete the 2021 online application.
• If applicants have appointments at more than one eligible nominating institution or affiliate, they may not reapply in a subsequent year from a different nominating entity.
• May not be nominated for the Pew Scholars Program and the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research in the same year.

Additional Information:

More information can be found on the Pew website: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars/program-details

Previous recipients of this award can be found here: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars/directory-of-pew-scholars

If you have questions concerning eligibility, please contact Kara Coleman, project director, Pew Biomedical Programs at 215-575-4925 in advance of applying. 

If you have questions concenring the BWH internal application process, please contact Trey Toombs (jtoombs@bwh.harvard.edu)