Medical Student Fellowship

FOCUS Medical Student Fellowship
in Women’s Health

The FOCUS Medical Student Fellowship in Women's Health offers University of Pennsylvania medical students funding for six months to work full time with a faculty mentor conducting clinical or basic science research or to work in a community-based program centered around issues of women's health. FOCUS sends a Request for Applications in early Spring of each year via email to eligible medical students. Depending on the specific funding source secured from year to year, students have the option to work with a faculty member actively engaged in women's health research or to work in a community based agency providing women's health related services. In addition to fostering research collaboration that benefits both the medical faculty mentor and the medical student mentee, the goal of the fellowship is to promote the growth of a cadre of physicians with appreciation of and specific expertise in the field of women's health.

For a research-based experience, medical students work closely with a faculty mentor. The purpose of this experience is to enable medical students to learn "hands-on" research and collaborative skills; to gain knowledge of a particular area of women's health; and to potentially work on a publication or article generated from the research.

For a community-based experience, medical students work in a community agency or organization on a defined project related to women's health. The goal of this opportunity is for a medical student be guided by a faculty mentor to comprehend and appreciate the multitude of community factors that impact women's health, and also to learn about aspects of program development and implementation of women's health services. While working on a site defined project that provides needed services to a community organization, students gain exposure to community based approaches to women's health.

Eligibility: Any University of Pennsylvania medical students (male or female) who have completed their clinical clerkships are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Funding: FOCUS solicits funding for these fellowships annually. A monthly stipend of $1,250 will be provided to student-fellows, totaling $7500 for the six-month fellowship period. These FOCUS funds may be applied to a 6 month period of a longer research experience whose remaining time is supported from other sources.

Mentorship: Identification of potential faculty mentors by interested students is required prior to application to the fellowship. Mentors must be full time Penn faculty with solidly established and active research programs. A list of faculty who replied in past years with interest in mentoring students is available on the FOCUS website; however, this is for reference only and will not necessarily be current. Student applicants interested in a project or faculty mentor other than those listed on the website are welcome and encouraged to propose these alternatives.

Credit/Requirements: Any of the FOCUS Fellowship opportunities have been designed to be a scholarly pursuit rather than a work-study experience. Medical students who complete the 6-month Fellowship period will fulfill the Scholarly Pursuit curriculum requirement (3 credits). Any FOCUS Fellowship will be graded on a pass/fail basis and will be recorded on the student transcript. A student awarded as a FOCUS Fellow will work with their Penn faculty mentor to prepare a formal initial project proposal which must be reviewed and approved by the FOCUS Director of Research Programs. A progress report will be required midway in the fellowship period, and a final written report will be due at the completion of the six-month experience. Students will be expected to attend three Fellowship luncheon meetings to discuss their projects with each other and the FOCUS Directors and deliver a formal presentation of their respective research at the final meeting.

↑top

Bertha Dagan Berman Award

« Back to Fellowship Page

All Bertha Dagan Berman Award Recipients

The Bertha Dagan Berman Award in Women's Health was established in 1997 through the generosity of Linda Lee Alter. This endowment makes it possible for two medical students each year to spend six months in a focused experience studying some aspect of general women's health. Women's health is defined very broadly. Prior Berman Award recipients have chosen to study such topics as pregnancy and family-building in patients with multiple sclerosis; analysis of gender differences in substance abuse; improving access to preventive care; finding new ways of providing information about health to women in underserved communities; analysis of breast cancer tissue markers in breast cancer research; and, dermatologic aspects of systemic lupus erythematosus, a disease which is more prevalent in women. The fellowship will include both research and clinical experiences which will be specifically developed for each Student Fellow with the assistance of FOCUS leadership and the faculty mentor. The purpose of this experience is to enable medical students to learn "hands-on" research and collaborative skills, to gain knowledge of some aspect of women's health, and to work on a publication or article generated from the research.

Eligibility: Any University of Pennsylvania medical students (male or female) who have completed their clinical clerkships are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Funding: The Berman Award provides a monthly stipend of $1,250 to student recipients, totaling $7500 for the six-month fellowship period. These funds may be applied to a 6 month period of a longer research experience whose remaining time is supported from other sources.

Mentorship: Identification of potential faculty mentors by interested students is required prior to application to the fellowship. Mentors must be full time Penn faculty with solidly established research programs. A list of faculty who replied in past years with interest in mentoring students is available on the FOCUS website; however, this is for reference only and will not necessarily be current. Student applicants interested in a project or faculty mentor other than those listed on the website are welcome and encouraged to propose these alternatives.

Credit/Requirements: This Fellowship opportunity has been designed to be a scholarly pursuit rather than a work-study experience. Medical student fellows who complete the 6-month Fellowship period will fulfill the Scholarly Pursuit curriculum requirement (3 credits). The Fellowship will be graded on a pass/fail basis and will be recorded on the student transcript. A student recipient of a FOCUS-Berman Award Fellowship will work with their Penn faculty mentor to prepare a formal initial project proposal which must be reviewed and approved by the FOCUS Director of Research Programs. A progress report will be required midway in the fellowship period, and a final written report will be due at the completion of the six-month experience. Students will be expected to attend three Fellowship luncheon meetings to discuss their projects with each other and the FOCUS Directors and deliver a formal presentation of their respective research at the final meeting.

Advisory Board Members
Bertha Dagan Award in Women's Health

Stephanie Abbuhl, MD
Vice Chair of Emergency Medicine
Medical Director and Associate Professor
Department of Emergency Medicine
Executive Director, FOCUS Program

Lisa Bellini, MD
Vice Chair for Education and Inpatient Services
Department of Medicine
Associate Professor of Medicine

Deborah Driscoll, MD
Luigi Mastroianni, Jr. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lorna Lynn, MD
Director of Recertification, American Board of Internal Medicine
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine

Katrina Armstrong, MD, MSc
Professor, Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine
Director of Research Programs, FOCUS

Gail Morrison, MD
Vice Dean for Education
Professor of Medicine

Lucy Wolf Tuton, PhD
Adjunct Professor, Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Prevention and Population Health
Director, Program Development in Community Health
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Executive Director, Bridging the Gaps
Director of Professional Development, FOCUS Program

Susan Wiegers, MD
Director, Clinical Echocardiography
Associate Professor of Medicine

↑top

To Apply

« Back to Fellowship Page

2012-2013

FOCUS Fellowship Opportunities:

• Bertha Dagan Berman Medical Student Fellowship Award in Women's Health (general women’s health)
  

• Edna G. Kynett Medical Student Fellowship Award in Women's Cardiovascular Health (must be related to women’s cardiovascular health)
  

Current Application Deadline: June 4, 2012

Click for PDF application

FOCUS on Health & Leadership for Women (FOCUS), a School of Medicine program based in Penn's Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics invites applications from Penn medical students for the following:

Funded six-month*, Penn faculty-mentored research experiences:

• Bertha Dagan Berman sponsored FOCUS Fellowship, an opportunity to do full time research in an area of general women's health
  

• Kynett Foundation sponsored FOCUS Fellowship, an opportunity to do full time research specific to women’s cardiovascular health

* The six months dedicated toward this research need not be continuous; however students must map out a clear plan in advance indicating the time blocks that will be devoted to the project and which must total a full six months.

We currently have support for at least three Fellowship awards and are waiting to hear about other funds to potentially support additional students in this unique research opportunity. We therefore encourage any interested students to apply now. Students may apply for consideration of either opportunity using the application format indicated below.

For your reference, a list of all prior fellowship recipients and their projects is accessible on the FOCUS website.

The FOCUS-Bertha Dagan Berman Medical Student Fellowship Award in Women's Health was established in 1997 through the generosity of Linda Lee Alter. This endowment makes it possible for at least 2 medical students each year to spend six months in a focused, mentored experience studying some aspect of general women's health. Women's health is defined very broadly. Prior Berman Award recipients have chosen to study such topics as: photosensitivity in cutaneous lupus; determinants of bone mineral density; excisional biopsy versus core biopsy among breast cancer patients; risk of bone fractures in HIV/HCV coinfected women receiving combination antiretroviral therapy; racial disparities in breast cancer reconstruction; pregnancy and family-building in patients with multiple sclerosis; analysis of gender differences in substance abuse, improving access to preventive care, finding new ways of providing information about health to women in underserved communities; analysis of breast tissue markers in breast cancer research; and, dermatologic aspects of systemic lupus erythematosus, a disease which is more prevalent in women. The purpose of this experience is to enable medical students to learn "hands-on" research and collaborative skills, to gain knowledge of some aspect of women's health, and to work on a publication or article generated from the research.

The FOCUS-Kynett Medical Student Fellowship Award in Women's Cardiovascular Health is also a funded, faculty-mentored opportunity for medical student research. The only difference is that the project must have relevance to women’s cardiovascular health. Prior Kynett supported Fellows have researched such areas as cardiovascular mortality among African American women; the effects of gender on patient preferences for cardiac procedures; maternal outcomes and cardiovascular risk following preeclampsia; polycystic ovary syndrome and cardiovascular disease risk factors; primary pulmonary hypertension in women; hormone replacement therapy and cardiovascular risk.

Specifics to Apply for the Fellowship:

Eligibility: Any University of Pennsylvania medical students (male or female) who have completed their clinical clerkships are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Funding: A monthly stipend of $1,250 will be provided to student recipients, totaling $7500 for the six-month fellowship term. These FOCUS funds may be applied to a 6 month period of a longer research experience whose remaining time is supported from other sources.

Mentorship: Identification of potential faculty mentors by interested students is required prior to application for this FOCUS fellowship opportunity. Mentors must be full time Penn faculty with solidly established and active research programs (please contact us with any questions about this). A list of faculty who replied in past years with interest in mentoring students is available on the FOCUS website; however this is for reference only and is not necessarily current. You may also scroll through the list of prior fellows to get a sense of other project and mentor possibilities. Student applicants interested in projects and/or faculty mentors other than those listed on the website are welcome and encouraged to propose these alternatives.

Credit & Requirements: This Fellowship opportunity has been designed to be a scholarly pursuit rather than a workstudy experience. Medical students who complete the Fellowship will fulfill the Scholarly Pursuit requirement (3 credits). This experience will be graded on a pass/fail basis and will be recorded on the student transcript. Any student who is awarded as a FOCUS Fellow will work with their Penn faculty mentor to prepare a formal initial project proposal which must be reviewed and approved by the FOCUS Director of Research Programs. A progress report will be required midway in the fellowship period, and a final report will be due at the completion of the six-month experience. Students will be expected to convene at three Fellowship luncheon meetings to discuss their projects with the FOCUS Directors and mentors and deliver a formal presentation of their respective research at the final meeting.

Deadline for Submissions: June 4, 2012

Time Line: Deadline for applications is June 4th. We will contact finalists starting June 6th to schedule interviews for June 11th (Monday), June 12th (Tuesday) or June 13th (Wednesday). Winners will be announced by June 29th. The fellowship may begin as early as July 2012.

Application Requirements: Please send your application packet in hard copy (no faxes, please) and also electronically (excluding transcript) and include the following information:

1. Your contact information (name, address, telephone number, pager, email address, and preferred method of contact)
2. Your CV
3. An official copy of your transcript (must come directly to us from Suite 100 or the Registrar)
4. A description (no longer than 700 words) that includes any past research or community experience related to women's health and your reasons for applying for an intensive opportunity in women's health at this point in your medical education
5. Your specific clinical/research interests (please indicate the faculty mentor whom you are considering)
6. Names (including contact information- email and phone) of two references.

Please send hard copy of application to the address below and follow it with an electronic version sent to pscott3@mail.med.upenn.edu :

Patricia Scott, Director of Operations
FOCUS on Health & Leadership for Women
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Room 908, Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6021

Please direct any questions to Patricia Scott
(e-mail) pscott3@mail.med.upenn.edu
(phone) 215-898-3562
(fax) 215-573-2265

↑top