The Clinical Investigator Award program “supports early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented research. The goal of this innovative program is to increase the number of physicians capable of moving seamlessly between the laboratory and the patient's bedside in search of breakthrough treatments."

(a.) Patient-oriented research: research conducted with human subjects. (see website for more detail)
(b.) Epidemiologic and behavioral studies; and
(c.) Outcomes research and health services research.

Excluded from this definition are in vitro studies that utilize human tissues but do not deal directly with patients. This award is designed to support physicians who adhere to “The Handshake Rule,” meaning that he/she will meet each patient in his/her research studies.

A new area of interest for this award is in Molecular Imaging.

1. Be an Assistant Professor (possibly Instructor, see below).
2. Be Board-eligible
3. May apply during the final year of subspecialty training or within the first four years of assistant professor appointment (cut-off July 1, 2006).
4. Apply in conjunction with a mentor who is established in the field of clinical translational cancer research or cancer prevention and epidemiology and can provide critical guidance during the period of the award.
5. Commit 80% of time to research.
6. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
7. Field- Cancer

HMS is the sole nominating institution in the Harvard Community for this award.

The Foundation indicates that ideally the nominee should be tenure track, but realizes that the level at which tenure track positions begin may vary from institution to institution. The Foundation is most interested in funding young, promising investigators who have recently completed clinical training. For HMS junior faculty, this often describes an Instructor level position. Nevertheless, the Foundation indicates that although Instructors are eligible to apply, they may be at a competitive disadvantage in the national selection process. A strong proposal accompanied by strong letters of recommendation (which include information about the normal Harvard promotion process) may therefore help the chances of Instructor level nominees in the final competition.

Funding Details:

Awardee stipend: $100K per year
Research allowance: $50K per year;
Medical School Debt Repayment Program: The DRCR Foundation will retire up to $100,000 of any medical school debt still owed by the awardee. Please see their website for more detailed information.