Trainee Opportunities

Explore training opportunities, scholarships, and grants from some of the top transplant centers!

AJT Editorial Fellowship

American Journal of Transplantation

American Journal of Transplantation invites applications between December 1, 2024 and January 15, 2025 for the AJT Editorial Fellowship Program. The Editorial Fellowship is a year-long editorial experience in the publication and peer review process to fellows and junior faculty in transplant-related fields, including a Basic Science track.  The fellowship offers a unique opportunity for the fellows to network with AJT editors through mentorship and participation in key journal initiatives.

To apply - send the following application materials to the amjtransplant@duke.edu:

• Letter of interest with discussion of prior publishing, writing and/or illustration experience
• CV
• AST or ASTS membership
• Letter of recommendation from Program Director or Department Head/Division Chief

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SBAS Intuitive Career Development Award

The Society of Black Academic Surgeons

The SBAS Intuitive Career Development Award spans 2 years and provides $100,000 to the awardee to support direct costs for research.

To be eligible, an applicant must be an active, dues-paying SBAS member, plus:

• A medical school faculty member as of January 1, 2025
• Have at least 20% protected research effort
• And can never have been the PI for a federal K- or R-level award

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NIH Advanced Research Training in Immunology for Surgical Trainees (ARTIST T32)

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

The Ohio State University Department of Surgery’s Advanced Research Training in Immunology for Surgery Trainees (ARTIST T32) program is designed to inspire, train and sustain a robust pipeline of surgeon scientists pursuing translational immunology research. The program integrates rigorous mentored research training in immunology and professional career development alongside clinical training for surgical trainees with exceptional academic achievement, clinical skills, professionalism and leadership potential.

The ARTIST T32 provides 12 months of stipend support per NIH guidelines for Kirschstein-NRSA awards and additional funds for research-related expenses and scientific travel related to the trainee’s training. A second year of funding is contingent upon satisfactory progress. The NIH T32 support provided incurs a payback obligation only during the initial 12 months of NRSA support. Payback support may be discharged in a variety of ways including continuation of research for a consecutive 12-month period of time.

Trainees will dedicate two full-time years, without clinical responsibilities, toward research education and training, earning a Master of Science in Medical Science degree. Trainees’ mentored research and didactics focus on the study of immune mechanisms mediating tissue injury, tissue repair, regeneration and replacement and immune regulation.

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Advanced Immunobiology Training Program

Duke University School of Medicine

Grant Purpose: The purpose of the Advanced Immunobiology Training Program (AITP) at Duke University is to provide surgeons with training in advanced immunology and create surgeon-scientists capable of participating and leading in surgically relevant areas of immunobiological research. The training program will combine the academic rigor of the Duke University School of Medicine with the Duke Department of Surgery’s commitment to training the next generation of surgical researchers. The program is co-directed by an academic surgeon and a basic sciences researcher, each with expertise in immunology. Supplemented by mentors with expertise in basic, translational, and clinical research, this multidisciplinary team is uniquely qualified to merge basic and applied Immunobiology with evolving surgical practice.

Program Overview: 

The Advanced Immunobiology Training Program (AITP) is a two-to-three year program that is open only to postdoctoral candidates (MD with/without PhD) who have completed medical school, after two years of clinical training. Research and mentors will be identified within the clinical training years and are usually identified within the intern year of residency.

The program involves mentored research training, protected completely from clinical responsibility upon completion of two years of clinical training. Every resident in General and Thoracic Surgery commits to two years of research, after their second or third year of residency.

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Visiting Student Diversity Scholarship for General Surgery

Deadline: June 1, 2024

The Thomas Jefferson University – Sidney Kimmel Medical College Visiting Student Diversity Scholarship Program for 4th year medical students who are interested in Academic Surgery. The program will be offered to several eligible students in the early fall of the academic year 2024-2025.

The Department of Surgery at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City, Philadelphia acknowledges the importance of a diverse community and inclusive environment and encourages fourth year medical students to apply to explore an interest in academic surgery. The Program will provide accepted "Acting Intern" (4th year medical) students with a four-week rotation at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for the months of August, September, and October in General Surgery or any of its subspecialties.

The Program will also provide up to $2,250 of expense reimbursement to help defray the cost of transportation, fees, and housing expenses.

Program description: The Visiting Student Diversity Scholarship Program is designed to give students the experience of rotating as a surgical "Acting Intern" (4th year medical student) at the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Surgery. The "Acting Intern" will function in the role of a surgical intern and will be required to attend all conferences including core curriculum, morbidity and mortality conference, rotation-based clinical case conferences, and simulation lab experiences with the surgery residents.

Who Should Apply: All eligible students are encouraged to apply, including students who are underrepresented in medicine (as defined by AAMC and/or HRSA). The 4th year medical student "Acting Internship" is four weeks in duration and will only be offered in the early fall of the academic year. Students must be enrolled in their final year of medical school in good academic standing at an LCME- or AΩA accredited medical school, and have completed all required core clerkships. Students will be accepted into clinical rotations only if space is available during the preferred time period. In addition, all students must meet all requirements of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University for visiting students.

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University of Minnesota Transplant Immunology Training Program

Program Instructor/Institution: Andrew Adams, MD, PhD; University of Minnesota

Number of Training Positions: One 2-3 year position open beginning July 2024

Contact: Please contact Stephanie Taylor (taylo574@umn.edu) to apply. 

Training Description: The Transplant Immunology Training Program at the University of Minnesota is seeking 1 postdoctoral trainee (surgical resident) to join our comprehensive transplant immunology laboratory for two or three years. Our research training program is geared toward training the next generation of transplant surgeon-scientists. Candidates will have the opportunity to be involved in several different areas of transplant research, ranging from basic science studies in murine models to translational studies in non-human primate (NHP) models as well as clinical research. Research areas include xenotransplantation, studies of costimulation blockade in murine and NHP models, ex-vivo perfusion, and clinical transplant outcomes.

We are located at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Our laboratory is connected to the University of Minnesota Medical Center, and is composed of graduate students, post-doctoral research fellows, technicians and undergraduate students.

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Filling a Void of Research (FAVOR) Training for Transplant Surgeons

Institution: University of California, San Francisco

Program Instructors: Peter Stock, MD, PhD: Minnie Sarwal, MD, PhD

Application Deadline: November 15, 2023

Contact: T32FavorTraining@UCSF.edu

Qualifications: Post-doctoral surgery residents, US Trained.

Grant Number: T32AI125222

Candidates must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (in possession of a valid Alien Registration Receipt Card, or "green card") at the time of appointment.

Candidates must hold a post-doc degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution.

Candidates must be currently appointed in an ACGME general surgery residency program.

Trainees will be expected to commit full time to the research training.

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The Northwestern Summer Research Program for Medical Students

Program Instructor/Institution: Daniela Ladner, Northwestern University
Contact:  Katie Crylen, kcrylen@nm.org
Application Deadline: January, 2024

Description:

As a gateway for a clinician-scientist career, this T35 Summer Program aims to offer academically promising medical students a rich and didactic summer research basic science or outcomes research experience in NIDDK areas of interest. The T35 program has assembled 33 federally, primarily NIDDK funded T35 mentors with excellent mentorship track record for 8 T35 trainees. 

The Summer program allows the T35 trainees to immerse themselves in their research project with their T35 mentors for 10-12 weeks (June-August). Daily T35 Lunch Lectures introduce the trainees to basics skills and knowledge related to performing research, followed by lectures from T35 mentors about their NIDDK research and their academic pathway. Weekly check-in occurs with the Program Director at the T35 Trainee Meetings allowing for cross-fertilization of trainees, progress reports and mitigation of roadblocks. Mid-summer a NIDDK funded visiting professor will lead an annual T35 Retreat, allowing for a full day exchange with the trainees. The summer concludes with a Poster Session where students present their research to faculty and staff. A  concluding 1-page summary or preferably an abstract submission to a national meeting is expected. T35 trainees are highly encouraged to continue their research with their T35 mentor throughout their medical school tenure and beyond.  Ongoing mentorship and networking opportunities are provided during medical school and beyond.

Learn more and apply!

Northwestern University Postdoctoral T32 Transplant Scientist Surgeon Training Program (TSSTP)

Program Instructor/Institution: Daniela Ladner, MD, MPH; Richard Green, MD; University of Northwestern

Number of Training Positions: 3 slots, 2-3 years; One 2-3 year position opens beginning July 2024

Contact:  Katie Crylen, kcrylen@nm.org

Description:

The Transplant Surgery Scientist Training Program (TSSTP) is a two- or three-year mentored research training program designed for academically oriented postdoctoral MDs and PhDs interested in pursuing a career in transplantation and transplant surgery–related research. The T32 grant provides a stipend, tuition, fees for coursework, travel funds and health insurance.

The TSSTP is focused on exposing fellows to scholars and investigators from different disciplines and fields. We instituted an innovative research model, which we have termed the Modular Approach to Transplantation Research by Inter-disciplinary eXperts (MATRIX). This construct allows for focused inter- and trans-disciplinary collaborations that converge on transplant-related issues, providing a unique environment, rich in mentors of various levels.

We have two tracks available to trainees: Northwestern University Transplant Outcomes Research Collaborative (NUTORC) or Northwestern University Collaborative for Transplant Research in Immunobiology and Biomedical Engineering (NUCTRIBE). Both tracks provide intensive, rigorous training by multidisciplinary senior, mid-level and junior mentors as well as classroom education. All trainees will also complete a core curriculum consisting of courses in the responsible conduct for research, ethical issues in clinical research, grantsmanship and writing for publication. Trainees will be able to take additional courses in their area of focus. Trainees in the NUTORC research track can choose between a Masters Degree in Health Services and Outcomes Research, Public Health, Clinical Investigation, Epidemiology and Biostatistics or Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety.

Learn more and apply!