We strongly encourage all trainees to seek fellowship opportunities. These serve the immediate purpose of providing the trainee with a stipend. Additionally and perhaps more importantly – because fellowships are reviewed by the preceptor’s national peers, award of a fellowship is an honor and a significant credential for the trainee’s resume. It should be noted that US applicants usually have an advantage over foreign applicants for highly competitive fellowships from US agencies.

Please note: Fellowship applications must be made together with your preceptor.

Fellowship Opportunities

Following are externally-sponsored fellowship opportunities that have provided funding for our research trainees in the past:

Fight for Sight
Offers post-doctoral fellowships and summer fellowships for undergraduates, medical students and graduate students. All Fight for Sight-supported research must be conducted in the United States and Canada. There are no citizenship requirements for these awards.

Research to Prevent Blindness
Offers medical student fellowships to allow gifted students to take a year off from medical school studies and devote time to the pursuit of a research project within an RPB Grantee department. The fellowship — which must take place prior to the third or fourth year of medical school — will be funded for one year. A portion of the grant should be utilized to help finance the recipient’s eye research activities.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Offers one year fellowships for medical students who wish to take a year off from their studies for research. Applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. medical or dental school and the fellowship research may be conducted at any academic or nonprofit institution in the United States, except the National Institutes of Health.

The National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health
Offers the F32 mechanism for post-doctoral research training. The F32 Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship provides a stipend and funds to help defray tuition, fees, health insurance, and research expenses. Support is generally for two or three years and is done under the guidance of a mentor or committee of mentors described in the application.

Diversity Fellowships

Prospective research trainees who are members of a minority group or from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are eligible for fellowship support or funded through the following programs:

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Has awarded a grant to support a new science education program directed towards minority and economically-disadvantaged members of the Miami-Dade community. A partnership between the University of Miami and Miami-Dade College, the $1.9 million grant is intended to ensure the preparation of future leaders in the growing field of the biomedical sciences. At UM, the grant broadens the undergraduate student experience with new classes and programs, future faculty development, and outreach programs to educate students from high school through post-doctorate.

The National Eye Institute of National Institutes of Health
Offers several mechanisms for research training directed towards minorities those with disabilities and from disadvantaged backgrounds including F31 and F32 applications and Diversity Supplements.