HMS SCHOLARS IN MEDICINE OFFICE
2015-2016 Funding Application Instructions
4th and 5th Year Funding
An application for Scholars in Medicine Office (SMO) funding for a term-time or year-long project consists
of:
1. A completed cover sheet: http://ecommons.med.harvard.edu/pub_forms.asp?sid=HMS_5196
2. A description of your proposed activity (4-5 pages).
Funding
Application
Instructions
3. An NIH-formatted 2014-2015
biosketch of your
mentor
(or an abbreviated
CV).
4. A completed and signed mentoring agreement.
If you plan to work abroad, please complete/submit the following, available on the SMO website (go to
Resources at the top of the home page, select Application Forms and search the list):
1. A Travel Risk/Release Form.
2. Personal health and safety information.
3. Certificate of completion of the UN safety course (see below).
4. Harvard Travel Assist registration (see below).
SMO has a rolling deadline for these funding proposals. Submit your proposal documents to Marcie
Naumowicz, marcie_naumowicz@hms.harvard.edu. Submit global health proposals to Kari Hannibal,
kari_hannibal@hms.harvard.edu.
I. Cover Sheet. Complete the SMO cover sheet online
http://ecommons.med.harvard.edu/pub_forms.asp?sid=HMS_5196.
II. Proposal Outline. Your mentor will assist you in the development of the approach to your project and
should review your proposal draft before you submit it to the SMO for funding.
It is understood that in the process of crafting your research proposal you will be reading manuscripts
and grant proposals written by your mentor and other lab members, as well as relevant published
literature. Nevertheless, it is important that your proposal be written in your own words. In the case of
specific detailed methods, it is acceptable to quote directly from your mentor’s work; however, if you do
this, it is essential that you clearly indicate the source (whether it be your mentor’s grant or a manuscript)
in a footnote.
Proposal must not exceed 5 pages; single spaced, 11 point or larger font, 1 inch margins, excluding
references. Please add pagination.
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Title of Project
Name and Email
Mentor’s Name and Email
1. Specific Aims: What is the question you want to answer? ( ½ page)
 Brief orientation: 1 paragraph that leads to the hypotheses and specific aims
 Hypothesis (if applicable)
 Specific aims
 Goals of project and the potential contribution to the field
2. Significance: Why should anyone care about this problem and answering these questions? ( ½ page)
 Background and rationale
 Importance of the problem
3. Innovation: What is novel about this project? ( ½ page)
 Has this been done before?
 How is this different from previous work?
 How will this project contribute to and/or advance the field?
4. Approach: How will the aims be accomplished? (1½ pages)
 Methods
 Data analysis, including primary and secondary outcomes or associations
 Biostatistical methods, including sample size or power calculation (if not applicable,
explicitly state why)
 IRB/Ethical considerations
 Limitations: What are the potential limitations of your approach? How will you minimize
these limitations? (Note: Limitations are inherent to your methods and are generally
predictable.)
5. Student Role: What is your specific role? What are you going to do? (< ½ page)
6. Feasibility: Can the work be done as proposed? (1-2 pages) This section must include 5 subsections:
a. Mentor: Why is this mentor right for the project? What is their experience in this area?
b. Environment: Where is the work being done? Is this project part of a larger project? Is the
work being done in collaboration with someone else?
c. Resources: Are all the resources that are needed available?
d. Obstacles and Challenges: What do you anticipate might prevent the work from being
completed as proposed? How will you deal with these obstacles and challenges? (Note:
obstacles and challenges are potential operational/organizational problems)
 For global health applications: What are the political, social, cultural, language, and
personal safety issues that may affect the successful implementation of your proposed
project and how will you deal with them? What will you do in country if you can’t
carry out your project as planned (i.e. what is your Plan B – your backup plan)?
e. Timeline.
References (can be outside the 5 page limit)
III. Mentor Biosketch. An NIH-formatted biosketch is a curriculum vitae in a condensed format designed
by NIH. If your mentor does not have a biosketch in this format, obtain an abbreviated CV from your
mentor (no more than 6 pages). CVs submitted to SMO should include the education, training,
fellowships/awards and recent publications of the mentor. If you are working with a mentor who is a
community leader or program manager who does not have a CV, please solicit at least a paragraph
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biographical description from your mentor. The mentoring biosketch is due at the time of your
application submission.
IV. Mentor Agreement and Funding. In the mentoring agreement (see Appendix 2) under Item 1 your
mentor should briefly describe your project, the support to be provided to you, and the funding they are
offering to pay you. Both you and your mentor should then sign and date the agreement. Submit the
agreement via e-mail as a scanned document to the SMO. The mentoring agreement is due at the time of
your application submission.
We ask mentors to share stipend funding of the student with the SMO. Ideally a mentor would provide
half of the stipend to the student and the SMO would provide the other half. Shared funding rates are
described below.


Full-time work (up to 12 months): SMO will provide up to $12,000 ($13,200 beginning July
2016) of funding for a yearlong project with a match from the mentor of an additional $12,000.
The monthly rate is $1,100 from SMO and $1,100 from the mentor (or an external grant) for
students who are taking a fifth year. Inquire first with SMO staff about external funding
possibilities or SMO funding before seeking a shared funding arrangement with the mentor. The
mentor is responsible for paying any matching funds to the student directly. SMO does not
invoice.
Global health projects are funded in a different way. We anticipate that most students carrying
out global health projects will not be able to secure matching funding. SMO stipend funding is
available for trips of 7 weeks or longer. The stipend is calculated based on the cost of travel to
the region and consists of modest funding to help defray roundtrip airfare, housing, and food. In
addition, the SMO reimburses students for any necessary immunizations for their travel and this
reimbursement is separate from the stipend funding. Submit detailed receipts of your
immunizations to the SMO for reimbursement. Limited short-term trip funding is available;
contact the SMO for more details.
External Funding: If your mentor does not have matching funding, you should seek funding from an
external source, such as a grant or fellowship from a professional or scientific society in your field or a
government grant.
If you plan to apply for external funding, (not a Harvard or Harvard-affiliated hospital source of funding),
send the following information to Judy Chin (judy_chin@hms.harvard.edu) in the PME Financial
Administration office. This information is due 3 weeks prior to the deadline date of your
application.
•
The name of the sponsor for your grant.
•
A link to the sponsor’s website for the grant to which you are applying.
•
A copy of your project proposal and your completed grant application.
Please note: Grant applications submitted less than 3 weeks from the deadline risk not having their
applications reviewed and approved by the Sponsored Programs Administration. SPA review and
approval is required for all grant applications for external funding.
V. Global Health Projects Only

Personal Health and Safety Information: All students traveling abroad need to investigate the risks
that might impact their ability to carry out their projects. Students should research information from
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the US Department of State and the CDC and record information relevant to their trip on the SMO
health and safety form. You should submit this form at the time of their application for funding.
NOTE: Harvard’s Global Support Services maintains Harvard’s lists of High-Risk, Elevated-Risk, and
Watch List countries and regions. Click https://www.globalsupport.harvard.edu/travel-tools/riskratings to view the lists. If you are going to a country labeled “High Risk,” you will have to fill out
additional paperwork and consult with the Scholars in Medicine Office.

Travel Risk/Release Form: All students planning travel abroad need to complete the Harvard Travel
Risk/Release Form. Once you complete this form, you will be eligible for emergency evacuation
insurance (Harvard Travel Assist), offered by Harvard to all students on official Harvard business (i.e.
traveling abroad with Harvard funds or for credit). The insurance card can be obtained from Kari
Hannibal in the SMO.

UN Course: Students need to take the United Nations “Basic Security in the Field” training at
http://training.dss.un.org. Submit these forms at the time of their application for funding. You only
need to take this course once during your years at HMS.

Harvard Travel Registry: You need to register your itinerary with Harvard so that the University can
locate you quickly and provide assistance in the event of an emergency (i.e. natural disaster, civil
unrest, etc). Registering is required for all students traveling on trips funded or arranged by
the University, and strongly recommended for everyone. To register your travel itinerary,
visit https://www.globalsupport.harvard.edu/travel-tools then click Harvard Travel
Registry. Students should record their information as soon as their trip is booked and you know your
address in country. Make sure the information stays up-to-date. We recommend recording your
leisure travel as well. The Travel Tools webpage also contains useful information for planning a safe
trip. The information collected is used only within the University for safety, emergency, or
aggregate reporting purposes.
VI. IRB. The Longwood Medical Area Office of Human Research Administration (OHRA)
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ohra reviews all student projects involving human subjects. If your
project involves human subjects, you must complete an application in the OHRA’s Electronic Submission,
Tracking & Reporting system (ESTR) http://irb.harvard.edu. Enter your HUID and password to log into
the system. You need to complete this form even if your project is being reviewed through a hospitalbased IRB. If you are performing original research, and a complete IRB application is determined to be
required, the mentor is expected to assist you in preparing these documents. For more information and
submission assistance, contact the IRB Coordinator, Grace Bullock at gbullock@hsph.harvard.edu or 617432-3071.
VII. What Happens Next With My Funding Proposal? Your complete funding application will be
reviewed by a member of the HMS Faculty Committee on Scholarship in Medicine—either your Society
Fellow or a member of an Advisory Committee. The reviewer will contact you if revisions are required.
Most students need to revise at least once. In some cases, the faculty member may not approve your
proposal and you will be given the reasons why.
VIII. If Your Project Changes. If the project falls through or you change your plans once you have
started, please notify the SMO staff immediately. If your project changes significantly during the
planning phase or while you are carrying out your project, you MUST notify your faculty reviewer
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or staff in the SMO of the proposed changes. If you carry out work that was not approved by the
Faculty Committee on Scholarship in Medicine, you risk forfeiting your stipend.
IX. Stipend Payments. Your SMO stipend (and any matching mentor contribution or any grant amount
you receive) may affect the amount of your financial aid package. Please check with the HMS Financial Aid
Office before you apply for funding to the SMO (or an external agency) so that you are aware of potential
changes to your financial aid award.
Your stipend is taxable income in the United States. If you are a US citizen, your SMO stipend will not
have taxes withheld. If you are a foreign student, taxes may be withheld according to your country’s tax
treaty with the US.
Foreign students may need to request permission to work in the United States from the Harvard
International Office and fill out a Foreign National Information Form. Please see Kari Hannibal in the SMO
for more information if you are a foreign student.
Students are paid according to the following schedule:

Term-time projects: You are paid by semester, so please provide the SMO your hourly work plan
each semester. Your mentor should pay you directly their share of your stipend. We do not
invoice.

Full-year year long projects: You are paid the entire SMO stipend at the start of your project, in
most cases. Your mentor should pay you directly their share of your stipend. We do not invoice.
X. Requirements at the End of Your Project. An abstract, approved by your mentor, is required at the
end of your experience. Students carrying out global health and community health projects are required
to submit a final report as well. SMO sends report guidelines directly to the students.
Your abstracts are compiled into an online book that is publicly available. Abstract instructions are
located on the SMO website (go to Resources at the top of the page, select Soma Weiss Student Research
Day, and look for the abstract instructions). Students need to submit a scholarly abstract no later than
November 1 of the calendar year in which they were funded.
Soma Weiss Student Research Day:

All students who received SMO funding must present a poster of their work at the annual Soma
Weiss Student Research Day, held in mid-January (generally the Thursday before the holiday
weekend).

Students are offered the opportunity to make an oral presentation of their research on Soma
Weiss Day. The Faculty Committee on Scholarship in Medicine selects 4 students to make oral
presentations. To nominate yourself, you should submit the following:
 Finalized abstract
 Mentor approval of the student’s abstract
 A supporting letter from the mentor addressed to the Faculty Committee on Scholarship in
Medicine that explains the importance of the research, why the topic would be of interest to a
general scientific audience, and why the student would make a good presentation.
Submit the application including the mentor letter and the abstract to the SMO by October
15.
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XI. Scholarly Project Application Process. Are you interested in turning your project into your
scholarly project proposal? Talk to the SMO staff, your Society Fellow, and see the separate set of SMO
instructions describing the scholarly project path.
XII. Questions? Stop by to talk with SMO staff in the Holmes Society, upstairs suite:
 Kari Hannibal, kari_hannibal@hms.harvard.edu, 617-432-1573
 Marcie Naumowicz, Marcie_Naumowicz@hms.harvard.edu, 617-432-0951
 Kerenne Paul, kerenne_paul@hms.harvard.edu, 617-432-2750
HMS Scholars in Medicine Office | 260 Longwood Ave. Rm. 265, Boston MA 02115, USA |
Fax: 617-432-5868 | SMO Website: In eCommons >Education tab >Education links box >select Scholar in
Medicine Office or use the shortcut SiM.
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Appendix 1
Responsibilities of Harvard Mentors and
Harvard Medical School Students
In Completing Student Term Time Projects
HMS and HSDM students apply to the Scholars in Medicine Office for funding of projects that enrich the medical
education of the student. The HMS Scholars in Medicine Office (SMO) oversees the administration of this granting
program. This agreement outlines the responsibilities of both the mentor and the student who is carrying out the project.
Students carrying out scholarly projects and their mentors should complete this agreement in the Scholarly Project Online
Tracking Tool and do not need to submit this paper copy.
The Mentor commits to the following to help the student complete her/his project:
(1) Prior to student submission of funding proposal
a. Help student write a formal funding proposal describing his/her work on the project. This will be
reviewed by the SMO faculty committees and may require edits.
b. Provide a short description of the project in the space highlighted below that discusses the nature and
significance of the project; gives assurance of space, supplies, and mentoring.
c. When possible, provide 50% of the funding for the student’s stipend; the other 50% is provided by the
Scholars in Medicine Office upon approval of the grant proposal. We understand that projects in certain
fields, such as global health, outcomes studies, or community-based research, may not have matching
funds. The students are encouraged to apply for external funding, which would replace first the
sponsor’s contribution and then possibly the SMO contribution (depending on the amount).
d. Provide the student with your NIH-formatted biosketch (or 6 page CV if no biosketch is available)
e. If the student’s research includes animals or humans, acquire appropriate IRB training and initiate an
IRB application or be added to a IACUC- or IRB-approved protocol.
(2) Due upon completion of the project
a. Review and approve the student’s 400-word scholarly abstract. Advise the student on the preparation
of her/his poster for the annual Soma Weiss Student Research Day at HMS.
Are you able to match funding for the student you are mentoring?
☐ Yes, I will provide matching funding for the student for $ ____________.
☐ No, I am unable to arrange for funding at this time. (Please provide more information in the description below)
I confirm that I understand and intend to fulfill the responsibilities of the project mentor.
__________________________________
Mentor printed name
_________________________________________________
Signature
Date
I confirm that I understand and intend to fulfill the responsibilities related to my project.
___________________________________ _________________________________
_________________
Student printed name
Signature
 Check box as proxy to signature if signing electronically.
Date
**Paste project description text in the space below, or attach separate document. **
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