Fellowships will be awarded for a maximum of two years to any graduate student working in the laboratory of a faculty member from one of the participating departments/programs listed above.  Awards are made on an annual basis.  Members of the executive committee solicit new applications and renewal applications each spring for competitive evaluation.

The 2023-24 fellowship award provides the following:

  • A yearly minimum stipend of $27,144 and a maximum of $33,000, dependent on whether the appointment is directly on the TG or an institutional funded slot in support of this TG. 
  • A minimum of $7,803 support for tuition and mandatory fees.
  • A yearly allowance of $2,500 for childcare costs (if applicable)
  • For those appointed to a TG slot, an institutional allowance of approximately $1000 that can be used to support travel to meetings at which the trainee is a presenting author on a paper or poster, or to purchase laboratory supplies. 

The initial term of the appointment under no condition can be less than 9 months.  Reappointment for one additional year will be contingent on satisfactory performance, compliance with the conditions outlined below, and through the annual competitive reapplication process. 

Requirements

As a trainee on this training grant, you will be required to: 

1. Take the following courses (or equivalent):

  • Introduction to Pain (PTRS: 7899), 1 s.h. 
  • Pain Syndromes and Management (PTRS: 7901), 1 s.h. 
  • A course in Biostatistics (multiple options are available), 3 s.h.
  • Scholarly Integrity and Responsible Conduct of Research I (BMED: 7270), 0 s.h.
  • Scholarly Integrity and Responsible Conduct of Research II (BMED: 7271), 0 s.h.
  • Rigor and Reproducibility (lecture series in CTSA), 0 s.h.

2. Attend and present your work (one presentation/semester) in the bi-weekly Work-In-Progress meetings of the Pain Research Program, attend the seminars provided by invited guest speakers of the Pain Research Program, and participate in bi-weekly journal club, Special Topics in Pain. All the listed seminars typically occur on Wednesdays, 9-10 am.

3. Participate in an annual Pain Research Program Workshop (date and location TBD).

4. Attend the annual NINDS T32 workshop (at least once, either during the first or second year of appointment) to present your work and engage in activities related to professional development.

5. Submit an external fellowship application during the first year of your appointment.

6. Shadow clinicians/scientists (physician, physical therapist, psychologist or basic scientist) on two occasions during the first year. You should coordinate this experience with Dr. Sluka. 

7. Consult with a statistician when designing your experiment and present this information to the group. This pro-active requirement to consider statistical power and other factors before collecting data is meant to emphasize the importance of statistical rigor in experimental design.

8. Identify (with the help of your primary mentor) and meet with a career advisory committee at least once per year.  

Trainers

(Ph.D. mentors) of the supported trainee are active participants in this TG’s activities and are therefore required to: 

  1. Attend the Work-In-Progress meetings and 4-5/year research seminars of the Pain Research Program held on Wednesday, 9-10 am.
  2. Participate in an annual Pain Research Program Workshop (date and location TBD).

Predoctoral Pain Research Program Fellowship Application

Download Application