CPRIT Graduate Scholar Program

The application period for the 2020 CPRIT Graduate Scholar Award is now closed. A call for 2021 applications will open in early 2021. 

The start date for 2020 awardees was May 1, 2020. Applicants were notified of their application outcomes in mid-March.

Program Details:

The MD Anderson CPRIT Research Training Program will support nine CPRIT Graduate Scholars per year. The funds will cover graduate student tuition, stipends, fringe benefits, and provide a modest travel allowance. CPRIT Graduate Scholars will be appointed for one year with competitive renewal option for up to three years. Renewals will be dependent upon successful academic and research progress, participation in activities related to the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Training Program (e.g., an annual CPRIT Symposium, journal club meetings), and competition with new applicants.

Eligibility:

All post-candidacy graduate students from the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School who are directly supervised by MD Anderson Cancer Center appointed faculty mentors are eligible to apply for this award. Successful candidates will have a competitive cancer research-based project and be directly supervised or co-mentored by a CPRIT Graduate Scholar Faculty Mentor. Applications are limited to one per faculty mentor laboratory for each funding announcement cycle. Applicants should be active GSBS students for Spring 2021 to be eligible so they may participate for the duration of the appointment period.

MD Anderson students who are directly supervised by CPRIT Graduate Scholar faculty mentors have the option to choose a co-mentor from the training grant faculty. MD Anderson students who are supervised by other faculty have equal opportunity to receive a CPRIT Graduate Scholar Award. In these cases, a co-mentor should be selected from the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Training Faculty to serve as a member of his/her supervisory committee.

Submission: Required documents should be compiled into a single PDF file in the order listed under "required documents" and submitted via email to CPRITMDACCTraining@mdanderson.org or ksavannah@mdanderson.org. Please include "Graduate Scholars Award Application" in the subject line. A confirmation email will be sent upon receipt.

Formatting: Please use Arial or Helvetica, 12 point font and format pages with 1 inch margins on all sides. 

Required Documents:

Submitted by Applicant:

1. A 2-page research proposal written by the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Candidate. This should include the significance of the project and its relevance to cancer, theoretical aspects guiding the study (e.g., hypothesis), goals of the project, and expected outcomes. A two page limit is enforced but references may be included in additional pages (text and figures on the additional pages will not be considered).
   
   
2. A current curriculum vitae for the applicant
   
   
3. Applicants are required to submit their undergraduate transcripts (unofficial is sufficient), a GSBS status report, and all advisory committee reports to date to demonstrate academic achievements and progress. Please contact Ms. Bunny Perez at Lourdes.V.Perez@uth.tmc.edu for GSBS reports.
   
   
4. A statement of commitment by the CPRIT Graduate Scholar candidate and dissertation mentor that indicates intent to participate in all required activities of the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Training Program, including monthly journal clubs and the CPRIT symposium. (1 page limit)

1. A training plan written by the applicant's dissertation mentor, including plans for scientific oversight of the project, mentoring of the candidate, how the project is expected to facilitate the trainee's career goals in cancer research, career development opportunities that will be encouraged/supported, and the mentor's overall research goals. In addition, the mentor must affirm that only one application per lab will be submitted per award announcement cycle. (1 page limit)
   
   
2. A statement from the CPRIT Faculty Mentor or Co-Mentor indicating willingness to serve as a member of the CPRIT Graduate Scholar's supervisory committee.
   
   
3. A letter of recommendation from the primary graduate mentor. This recommendation may be combined with the training plan if desired, but will not increase the 1 page limit for the training plan. Alternatively, a separate letter may be provided with no page limitations.

Submitted by Recommenders:

1. Two additional letters of recommendation should be submitted in support of the CPRIT Graduate Scholar's application. Recommendation letters should be sent in PDF format from the referee's institutional email address to CPRITMDACCTraining@mdanderson.org or ksavannah@mdanderson.org. Please include the applicant's name and CPRIT Graduate Scholar in the subject line. Letters of support should be received on or before the day the application closes.

*A CPRIT Faculty Co-Mentor may combine their letter of recommendation with their statement of willingness to serve as co-mentor. In this case, a letter of recommendation from the primary graduate mentor, the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Co-Mentor, and one additional faculty are required.

Thank you to all of our current (above) and past reviewers for the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Program. These also include: Dr. Swathi Arur (Genetics), Dr. Pierre McCrea (Genetics), and Dr. Junjie Chen (Experimental Radiation Oncology).