Nomination and Selection Process

Overview

Our trainee candidates come from four primary sources: 1) Clinical fellows (MD and MD/PhD) from the adult hematology-oncology and the pediatric hematology fellowship programs, 2) PhD postdoctoral scientists recruited into the labs of the members of the training faculty with assistance from the HRTP, 3) students in Penn’s MD/PhD program, and 4) PhD students in BGS graduate programs and, less frequently, CBE (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering).

Postdoctoral trainees must: 1) have earned an MD, a PhD or both, 2) demonstrate a strong commitment to a career in research as a scientist or physician-scientist through prior experience and personal interviews, 3) have a strong academic track record, and 4) work or plan to work on projects that fall within a very broad definition of blood-related basic and translational research in the laboratory of one of the participating faculty.

Predoctoral trainees must: 1) be enrolled in either Penn’s MD/PhD program, a BGS (or CBE) graduate program, 2) demonstrate a strong commitment to a career in research as a scientist or physician-scientist through prior experiences and personal interviews, 3) have a strong academic track record, and 4) work or plan to work on a project that falls within a very broad definition of blood-related basic and translational research in the laboratory of one of the participating faculty. By NIH rules, all trainees appointed to the HRTP T32 have to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Commitment to Diversity 

The Hematology Research Training Program seeks predoctoral and postdoctoral students from diverse backgrounds, including diversity of work and life experiences, interests, culture, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. This includes welcoming applicants with disabilities and providing an accessible and inclusive environment in which all learners have access to our programs. Information about academic accommodations, technical standards for admission, auxiliary services and technology is made available to applicants as well as students. Since we recognize that potential applicants may wish to inquire about disability services before deciding to apply, we encourage you to do so confidentially by contacting Penn’s Office of Student Disabilities Services. Information provided by applicants to Student Disabilities Services is not made available unless the applicant chooses to divulge it.

Nomination Process

Clinical fellows are provisionally identified for consideration in the Spring of their first year in the fellowship program. This is the point at which each fellow chooses whether they will focus on research and a career as a physician-scientist or on a career primarily focused on clinical care and clinical research. They usually meet with one of the HRTP directors and then are formally nominated for entry into the HRTP by their research mentor once a project has been selected.

Postdoctoral researchers can be nominated either before or after they begin their postdoc as long as their project has been identified as one falling within the fields of interest to the HRTP.

Predoctoral trainees in the MD/PhD and PhD graduate programs are nominated by their thesis advisor, typically after the thesis project has been identified and the trainee has passed their PhD qualifying examination. For MD/PhD candidates this typically occurs at the end of Year 3 in the MD/PhD program. For PhD candidates this occurs at the end of Year 2 in the graduate program. 

The required nomination packet for each trainee candidate includes 1) a nomination letter from the proposed faculty trainer, 2) a one-page description of the planned research project, 3) a statement from the nominee about their long term career plans and 4) a copy of the nominee’s CV.

Selection

The HRTP nominees are reviewed by both program directors and the decision to appoint is based on several factors, including the nominee's commitment to a career in research as a scientist or physician-scientist, the strength of their academic record, prior research experience, and their plan to work on projects related to blood-related basic and translational research. The HRTP also takes into account the goal of increasing diversity in their decision-making process. In some cases, one or more members of the Internal Advisory Board (IAB) may also be asked to review and interview the candidate before a decision is made. If a candidate is nominated to more than one T32-funded training program at Penn, a decision will be made through discussion among the different programs, taking into account the trainee's wishes and the fit to each program.

Appointment

Nominees who are selected for appointment to the T32 will receive a letter of appointment for one year. At that time, they will also receive a guide to the HRTP and a copy of the applicable mentorship compact. The mentorship compact is to be reviewed with an appointee's research mentor and signed by both mentor and mentee, and returned to the program directors before the appointment is finalized. As noted in the Mentorship Plan, the purpose of the compacts is to encourage a conversation about mentorship and menteeship, help foster communication, and align expectations.

Nominees who are selected for appointment to the T32 will receive a one-year letter of appointment, a comprehensive guide to the HRTP, and a copy of the HRTP's mentorship compact. Trainees should review the mentorship compact with their research mentor and return the signed compact to the program directors. This mentorship compact serves to facilitate open communication, encourage dialogue on mentorship, and align expectations for a successful mentor-mentee relationship.

Reappointment

Trainees who have made satisfactory progress are normally re-appointed for a second year and can be considered for a third year of support subject to NRSA limits for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. All trainees are encouraged (and assisted) in applying for individual fellowships from the NIH and from foundations such as the American Heart Association and the American Society of Hematology.