The Morton A. Madoff Public Health
Fellowship
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Goal:
Morton A. Madoff Fellowship is a career development award given to acknowledge and honor
Dr. Madoff's contribution in promoting the training and career development of students with
interests in public health, public policy, and health care management.
The Fellowship award in the amount of $3,000 is made in early March each year and is to be
used prior to the last day of March of the following year.
Eligibility:
Eligible applicants include Tufts University School of Medicine students currently enrolled in
Medical or Sackler School graduate or professional degree program. Eligible applicants must be
in good academic standing and obtain the permission of the Dean of their respective program
(i.e., Dean of Students, Dean of the Sackler School, or Dean of Public Health & Professional
Degree Programs).
Qualifying Activities/Projects:
Public health encompasses an enormous array of activities both domestically and
internationally, therefore great latitude is afforded in requesting funds to meet the student’s
individual need. There are no restrictions as to how the Fellowship funds may be used, i.e. they
may be used for travel, to meet lodging expenses, to pay for data collection or translators, or to
offset the costs of specialized training or education.
The award is not intended to fund ongoing work, but rather to provide the support for an
experience that has the potential to impact the development of a student in the realm of public
health. The selection committee seeks to encourage a broad range of proposals in response to
this solicitation.
Potential applicants should, however, review carefully the following criteria in deciding
whether or not to apply:
1) The applicant must address explicitly and fully how the proposed project or activity will
contribute to or enhance the applicant's career in public health, public policy, or health care
management.
2) The applicant must provide evidence that shows that the scope of work can be realistically
accomplished in the proposed time frame and with the resources available.
3) The applicant must address the complementarily of the proposed project or activity with the
applicant’s preparation and experience to date.
Applicants are advised and encouraged to review Dr. Madoff's biography and reflect on how
their proposal is consistent with his life and values.
The Award: Initially, a single award of $3,000 will be made in March each year.
Upon completion of their fellowship experience, awardees will be required to submit a written
report that describes their project and project experiences, including how funds were used. This
report will be due on May 1 of the year that follows the end of their Fellowship year.
Awardees will have their names listed in the Tufts Graduation Bulletin in the year they
graduate and their names will be added to the Morton A. Madoff Public Health Fellowship
plaque in the Department of Public Health & Community Medicine.
Application Process:
Applications are due 5:00 PM on February 14, 2015. All applications must be submitted
electronically to Brian Filon (Brian.Filon@tufts.edu), Academic and Student Services Assistant),
and an original application with the appropriate Dean’s signature (email is fine) must be
provided within one week of the application deadline. The information is also posted on Trunk.
Selection Committee:
A selection committee will review all applications and select the final candidate. In the event
that a candidate that is selected cannot utilize the Award, the Committee will have the option
of making an award to another applicant or returning the funds unused to the Madoff
Fellowship Endowed Fund. The Committee is composed of a Madoff family member, the chair
of the Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, the MPH Program Director, and
an additional member of the faculty (to be named).
For further information, please contact:
Aviva Must, Ph.D.
Morton A. Madoff Professor and Chair
Department of Public Health & Community Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
136 Harrison Ave.
Boston, Ma 02111
aviva.must@tufts.edu
Madoff Biography
Morton A. Madoff, M82P, served as Dean of Tufts University School of Medicine 1992-1995,
and Chairman of the (then) Department of Community Health from 1972-1992 and from 19951998, and founded the Tufts Associated Health Plan. A physician, public-health leader and
innovator, he was, above all, an educator. “Mort taught students the importance of community
medicine, public health, and population medicine,” said Harris Berman, MD, TUSM Dean and
former chief executive of the Tufts Health Plan. “His vision of the skills needed by the modern
physician was both expansive and prescient. He spawned innovative educational programs:
combined degrees for medical students in public health, in management and business, and
even in international law and diplomacy. Mort had a profound effect on medical education and
he truly loved Tufts Medical School and his students.” Dr. Madoff died in 2009 at the age of 81.
Born in Clinton, Mass., where his father was a tailor, Madoff was a child of the Great
Depression. “He was very proud of the fact that he was born and raised poor, and he looked
out for people who didn’t have a lot,” his son, Larry, ’M82, told the Boston Globe. After serving
in the Navy until 1946, Madoff attended Tulane University, where he earned a bachelor’s
degree in English, and then a medical degree. He completed his residency at Tufts Medical
Center and the Boston Veterans Administration Hospital and worked for Lemuel Shattuck
Hospital in Boston, specializing in infectious diseases. Dr. Madoff subsequently served as
Director of the State Laboratory for the MA Department of Public Health, where his vision and
tenacity were instrumental in the full realization of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ then
state-of-the science laboratory facility. In the early 1980s, with a $3,000 grant from the medical
school, Madoff created what would become one of the state’s largest health maintenance
organizations. Long a student of infectious disease, Madoff hoped to keep patients at the center
of any health-care model, and Tufts Associated Health Plan, launched in 1981, was designed so
people could stay with their private physicians. By 1998 it was the second largest HMO in
Massachusetts, with more than one million members throughout New England and more than
$1 billion in annual revenues.
More than anything else, Dr.
Madoff had an insatiable
commitment to promoting
and nurturing the careers of
students, regardless of where
they were in their career
trajectories. As a result, Dr.
Madoff’s legacy can be seen in
the work of generations of
students and physicians whom he encountered in the course of his career. This Fellowship
award is intended to honor Dr. Madoff’s memory by continuing his efforts to nurture and
support students with interests in public health, public policy, and health care management.
The Morton A. Madoff Public Health Fellowship Application
Application Cover Page and Instructions
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name:
Program:
Project title:
Address:
Telephone:
Email:
Signature:
Date:
PROGRAM/SCHOOL DEAN APPROVAL (see next page, hard copy to be submitted within 7 days)
Dean’s Name (printed): ________________________________
Dean’s Signature: ________________________________
Date: ____________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fellowship proposal must include:
1. Cover Page (this page)
2. Project narrative: maximum 3 pages double-spaced (see guiding questions below)
3. Budget and budget narrative (include an itemized budget, and justify items; 1 page max)
4. Listing of other TUSM funds applied for to support this work (e.g., Global Health Travel Fellowships, Williams
Fellowship)
5. Short CV
Guiding Questions:
a) What new and specific activity will you undertake using this fellowship opportunity?
b) How will the proposed project or activity will contribute to or enhance your career in public health, public
policy, or health care management?
c) When and where will you conduct your project? What evidence shows that the scope of work can be realistically
accomplished in the proposed time frame and with the resources available?
d) How does what you propose complementarity of your preparation and experience to date?
e) Against what goals will you evaluate the project or activity’s success?
f) Please indicate if you have or would like a mentor
Date Application Received:
Initials:
All applications must be submitted electronically to Brian Filon (Brian.Filon@tufts.edu),
Academic and Student Services Assistant), and an original application with the appropriate Dean
signature must be provided within one week of the application deadline.
Submit Application To:
Morton A. Madoff Fellowship Selection Committee
Attention: Brian Filon, Student/Academic Services Assistant
Office of Public Health and Professional Degree Programs
136 Harrison Avenue, M&V Suite 142
Boston, MA 02110
Fax: (617) 636 – 0898
Brian.Filon@tufts.edu
APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 14th, 2014 at 5:00 P.M.
FELLOWSHIP AWARD ANNOUNCED: March 7th, 2014