PLEASE NOTE:

This program is currently on pause until further notice.

 

 

The Osher Center funds pre-doctoral fellowships in Integrative Medicine research. The fellowship program is open to Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) graduate students and provides $10,000/year to cover part of the student’s costs (to include stipend and/or supplies), as well as a $2,000 travel stipend; the fellowship is renewable for three years.

Projects are required to:

1. Include relevance to cross-system and translational integration;
2. Add a new collaboration (new to the lab) between the student’s parent lab and another lab or research group, with preference for adding a translational component into an animal model or human model (if appropriate).

Note: The yearly $10,000 goes to the lab that is paying the student’s stipend and tuition. The principal investigator (PI) of the collaborating lab will not be required to be a co-mentor or be part of the student’s thesis committee.

However, the collaborating PIs are required to meet quarterly with the student, and the student is required to submit a report of these meetings, as well as a yearly progress report to the Osher Center. Renewal of the fellowship will be contingent upon satisfactory completion of these requirements.

The Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program is led by Dr. Peter Wayne, Osher Center Director and  other faculty and staff to comprise the Steering Committee. All members of the Steering Committee work closely together in the areas of student selection and evaluation of research projects. The Steering Committee meets at least twice annually to review student recruitment, select applicants, and review and evaluate the research mentorship and progress of the trainees. Management and staff of the Osher Center provide financial and operational management and support to the Program.

Download Fellowship Program Overview

Application Cycles: Up to two fellowships can be awarded each academic year, with one applicant selected after each cycle deadline:

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

To Apply: If eligible¹, please send the following items to [email protected]

• Proposal (download application form here)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Three letters of Recommendation

Questions:
For questions about the program, please contact us at  (617) 525-8737 | E-mail: [email protected]

¹ This program is open to all HILS graduate students, with the exception of those students in the Biological Sciences in Dental Medicine Program. 

 

Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Harvard Medical School Research Fellowship in Integrative Medicine
Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Integrative Medicine (NIH funded)

A key element of the education agenda for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine is a research fellowship training program, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) –  now the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) since 1999.

Under the direction of Dr. Gloria Yeh, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a clinician investigator in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the program allows three years of protected time to complete innovative research projects. Some fellows may pursue a Masters of Public Health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

This highly successful program has graduated more than 30 post-doctoral (predominantly MD and PhD) fellows, most of whom have gone on to positions in academic medicine. The training program touches all of the major HMS-affiliated hospitals, with fellows past and present conducting research studies at different institutions based on their areas of interest.

Prospective Applicants: Key Dates

• October 6, 2023: Application deadline for 2024 start (all materials must be in)
• November 6 & 7, 2023: Candidate interviews (group and individual) for 2024
• December 1, 2023 (anticipated): Application deadline for 2024 Harvard School of Public Health Master’s Program
• February 1, 2024 (anticipated): Application deadline for 2024 Program in Clinical Effectiveness
• July 3, 2024: Fellowship begins

Download Program Application for 2024

All application submissions and inquiries may be directed to [email protected].

More information about the Integrative Medicine fellowship at HMS can be found here.

Purpose

This fellowship aims to advance chiropractic research through cultivating and mentoring an exceptional candidate in a 3-year postdoctoral program that is focused on the development of research skills to support a career as an independent researcher in clinical musculoskeletal health or pain management research. Secondary opportunities will also be provided for advanced clinical training within a multidisciplinary academic medical clinic. Priority will be given to candidates with existing experience in clinically-related research domains, including clinical, basic, translational, and epidemiological.

Program Overview

This fellowship will run in parallel with the Harvard Medical School Research Fellowship in Integrative Medicine, one of the longest standing NIH-funded training programs devoted to complementary and integrative medicine research (https://oshercenter.org/fellowships/).

Chiropractic fellows will participate in all program activities, including pursuing a Master of Public Health program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completion of an independent research study. Fellowship Eligibility and Qualifications

• Applicants must have a DC degree from an CCE accredited chiropractic college or university.

• Applicants must be a US citizen or permanent resident. Applications from women and minorities are encouraged.

• Selection will favor applicants with prior experience in clinical musculoskeletal health or pain management research with chiropractic care or other manual therapies, and evidence of a commitment to becoming an independent researcher.

• Successful completion of Parts I-IV of the NBCE National Boards and licensed or eligible to apply for a license to practice chiropractic in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

To Apply

The application deadline is November 1, 2023.

A final decision will be announced December 1, 2023.

The fellowship will begin on July 1, 2024.

Questions and completed applications should be addressed to Ms. Shannon O’Brien ([email protected]).

Support

This program is made possible by a generous grant from the NCMIC Foundation, Inc.

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Read Program Curriculum Overview:

Chiropractic Fellowship Academic Curriculum (2024-2027)

Download & Complete Application Form:

Chiropractic Fellowship Application Form (2024-2027)

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Frequently Asked Questions: 

I am not a US Citizen, does that matter for this application?

Thank you for seeking clarification. For now, the fellowship is limited to US Citizens.   

Would this position require a three-year relocation to the Boston area? 

Yes, the fellowship is an on-site experience, based in Boston. 

Is this a full-time position? 

Yes, it is full time 

Do I submit letters of recommendations, or should faculty send them directly? 

Per standard protocol, recommendation letters should be sent directly from your faculty.  

Is tuition included?  

Yes, the grant covers the MPH program tuition.

Are you seeking applicants who are relatively new graduates from Doctor of Chiropractic programs? 

We prefer applicants with some experience in the field, but new graduates are not excluded… (provided you are committed to a career in research). 

Is this program more geared to applicants with long standing research experience? 

While grant writing experience is a plus, it is not a requirement (That will become part of the training). It is not essential to already have long-standing research experience—but some is a plus. At a minimum, we ask for a demonstratable commitment – that this be a considerable proportion of your future career.  

Would there be any modifications to the program for an applicant who already holds an MPH degree?”  

No modifications will be made to the program if you already have an MPH. Having an MPH already is a plus, but depending on your degree—e.g., public health, you still may want to take advantage of the HSPH program to strengthen clinical research skills.   

Is a PhD possible (rather than an MPH)? 

This is not a PhD program.  

What are career advancement /potential career opportunities for program alumni?  

Any candidate’s success is dependent upon their drive and use of time and resources. The Fellowship experience is intended to provide the best research education, clinical experience, and resources for candidates with the commitment and drive to succeed. We seek candidates looking to succeed in clinical chiropractic research, in an area currently sparsely represented. We are seeking driven candidates who would like to advance chiropractic patient care, the chiropractic profession and who would like to answer long-standing questions about chiropractic in a meaningful way in a world-class institution.  

Regarding the chiropractic fellows specifically, post-graduate information is not yet available as our first fellow is currently completing her third and final year of the fellowship. Her early arc suggests great promise for success, especially given she had little research experience upon entering the program. Among other noteworthy accomplishments to date: she is projected to graduate from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with her MPH degree in Clinical Effectiveness; has published three quality peer-reviewed articles (taking the lead of 2/3), is actively engaged in 3 clinical trials related to pain (lead on 2), a recipient of the NIH-NCCIH Loan Repayment Program Award, has a mentored clinical role at the Osher Clinic, and has been invited to present at numerous national and international conferences.”   

While there is no guaranteed job at the end of the fellowship, we help with career development. Our NIH-funded post-doctoral research fellowship is the longest standing training program in integrative medicine research in the United States. Our fellows-in-training and recent graduates are tackling leading edge research topics ranging from brain responses to meditation in patients with chronic pain; to understanding the scientific basis for acupuncture points. Multiple recent graduates have joined Harvard faculty, and earlier graduates of the Fellowship continue to have an important presence in integrative medicine leadership roles nationally. Some examples of prior graduates in leadership roles include:     

• DR. ROBERT SAPER (2004) – named as Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic.  
• DR. PAULA GARDINER (2007) – became the new Director of Primary Care Implementation Research at the Cambridge Health Alliance, Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Harvard Medical School.  
• DR. GURJEET BIRDEE (2009) was appointed the Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt University.