PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

The cornerstone of the training program is a two- or three-year plan tailored to each fellow’s scientific goals and professional needs. Each fellow’s progress on this plan is supported and monitored by the fellow’s mentor, the program’s directors, and Advisory Committees.

One of our program’s strengths is the role of mentors in fellows’ development. Before the fellow begins the program, a mentor with federally funded research in the fellow’s area of interest is identified and assigned. Mentors meet weekly with their fellows one-to-one to discuss their work and progress toward their goals. They involve their fellows in ongoing research as team members with clear areas of responsibilities matching the fellow’s interests. Mentors introduce their mentees to their own professional networks in their research fields.

An applicant’s preference for a specific mentor is given strong consideration in the application process.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Our program is a fellowship with each fellow receiving a monthly stipend. In addition to the stipend, fellows also receive the following:

• Tuition and fees coverage
• Campus Care health insurance coverage
• Allotted travel funds for conferences
• Office space and resources
• Access to grants development support

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT

Fellows can enroll in graduate courses in the university, home to a full complement of health sciences colleges.

Fellows usually enroll in the UIC School of Public Health’s Health Disparities Certificate Program, developed in partnership with the program. Four courses in the 13-credit program introduce fellows to health inequities in the United States, quantitative methods used in disparities research, sociocultural dimensions of health disparities, and case studies in evidence-based policy development and implementation. Fellows also participate in another School of Public Health course, Grant Writing for New Investigators (HPA 591).

INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITY

The Institute for Health Research and Policy is our program’s home, located in the Illinois Medical District, within walking distance of all six of UIC’s health sciences colleges and the UI Hospital. Fellows’ offices are usually located in the institute.

Fellows partake in the institute’s rich intellectual community, home to many research studies addressing cancer and health disparities. Fellows participate in monthly seminars and workshops by NIH-funded scientists. Fellows utilize IHRP’s Methodology Research Core and can draw on the skills of experienced grants managers when developing proposals. IHRP’s network can be accessed remotely and securely around the clock. The

The training program is closely affiliated with the University of Ilinois Cancer Center, where scientists and clinicians across four campuses collaborate to reduce cancer burden, provide the latest in excellent cancer treatment and improve cancer survival, especially in vulnerable communities. The UI Cancer Center offers several seminars and workshops each month covering emerging cancer research from basic science to clinical and translational studies.