Fellowships

A well recognized limitation of conventional medicine is its longstanding specialization, which often results in a view of the body as a collection of separate body parts or systems. Integrative medicine research seeks to understand connections across physiological systems (e.g. Does breathing influence the digestive system? Do body movements influence the immune system?).

In addition, integrative medicine research emphasizes integration of research approaches “from cells to animal models to patients.” For example, we know that mechanical forces have profound effects on cells in a culture dish, but how does this translate to physiological processes in a whole animal or human?

To ensure our clinical and research efforts blossom into a new standard of care, we are training the next generation of practitioners in integrative medicine. The educational activities of the Center take place across the Harvard community and are targeted at the medical student, resident, fellow, and continuing medical education audiences, as well as the general public.

To support our educational efforts we offer the following fellowship opportunities:

Fellowship Mechanisms

Pre-Doctoral Fellowships

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 Drs. Helene Langevin, Osher Center Director, and Peter Wayne, Osher Center Research Director. These individuals and other faculty and staff comprise the Pre-Doctoral Fellowship 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 our program manager, Judith Cantlin at [email protected]:

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

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

 

Harvard Medical School Research Fellowship in Integrative Medicine

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 10, 2022: Application deadline for 2023 start (all materials must be in)
  • November 7, 2022: Candidate interviews (group and individual) for 2023
  • December 1, 2022 (anticipated): Application deadline for 2023 Harvard School of Public Health Master’s Program
  • February 1, 2023 (anticipated): Application deadline for 2023 Program in Clinical Effectiveness
  • July 3, 2023: Fellowship begins

Download Program Application for 2023

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

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

Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Chiropractic Research Fellowship

Chiropractic Research Fellowship Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

Application deadline: December 15, 2020

Program Location:  Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Program Directors: Peter Wayne PhD and Matthew Kowalski DC

 

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 multi-disciplinary 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 December 15th,  2020.  A final decision will be announced in mid-January 2021. The fellowship will begin on July 1 2021.

Download Application

Questions and completed applications should be addressed to Ms. Amelia Knowlton: ([email protected]).

 

Support

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