We are pleased to again announce the availability of funds to support up to two one-year medical student research fellowships annually. The fellowships are for LCOM medical students only. 

This one-year program is designed to occur during a leave between the 3rd and 4th years of medical school (July 1 through June 30). The student(s) will complete the first 3 months of Advanced Integration starting in March of the 3rd year and then complete the remaining portion of Advanced Integration upon returning to complete medical school during a 5th year. If there are extenuating circumstances that warrant consideration of a research fellowship earlier in the course of medical school, then other options for the timing of the research year will be considered. 

The fellowships are scheduled to begin July 1, 2025. Applications will be due no later than 12 noon on March 10, 2025 and should be electronically submitted as an attached PDF file to Dr. Renee Stapleton, Director of Medical Student Research at renee.stapleton@med.uvm.edu. 

Applications are specifically solicited from student/mentor teams and must be signed by the applicant and mentor. The primary mentor must be a full time LCOM faculty member. 

Please prepare the application as follows (the application should be to two pages, 11 Arial font, single-spaced, with one-inch margins): 

1. Student name, medical college class, contact information 

2. Mentor name, contact information 

3. Proposed start date. If not July 1, please provide explanation. 

4. Paragraph that provides a brief biosketch of the accomplishments to date of the medical student including prior research experiences. 

5. Paragraph that describes the career goals of the medical student applicant. 

6. Paragraphs that describe the anticipated research fellowship to include campus location, theme, objectives, type of research, and specific training/learning experiences. The proposed research fellowship must be conducted within the UVM system (UVM, LCOM, UVM Medical Center and Health Network). 

7. Acknowledgement that research accomplished during the fellowship should be presented at a regional or national professional meeting and that peer-reviewed publication of research findings is expected. A final progress report must be submitted within 3 months of fellowship completion. 

8. Acknowledgement by faculty mentor of the research fellowship plan and commitment to mentor the student for the one-year fellowship with signature and date. 

9. Medical student signature and date. 

• The award recipient(s) will be selected from the applicant pool by a review committee consisting of the Senior Associate Dean for Research, the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education, the Associate Dean for Graduate and Post-doctoral Training, and the Director of Medical Student Research. If no applications are found suitable, a fellowship will not be awarded. 

• The selected student(s) will need to take a formal leave of absence from medical school for the research fellowship year. 

• The student will be registered as a graduate student taking credits during this time. 

• Student(s) will receive funds to support living expenses ($32,000 total). The source and type of identified institutional funding will determine if your payment is processed as scholarship or via a temporary exempt status (“additional pay form”). Tax implications vary based on the source and type of funding. 

• The fellowship will cover the costs of tuition, Health Center fee, and medical insurance if needed. 

• Travel funds (up to $3,000) will be made available for the student to attend regional or national professional meetings. The student must be presenting research findings or reimbursement for these expenses will be a taxable benefit. 

•  We can also provide a letter, if needed, that certifies that the student remains in good standing and is engaged in a one-year research fellowship. This letter should serve to defer any non-federal loan repayments that would otherwise be activated. The continuous enrollment as a graduate student taking credits should defer any federal loan repayments that would otherwise be activated. 

• Please note that students considering application to this LCOM fellowship must take into consideration that they will not be allowed to request new educational loans during the time of the fellowship and that they should consult Student Financial Services before completing the application to be sure that all of the requirements for loan payment abeyance will be met.