Training at NIDCR (on the NIH campus)

Contact: Dr. Deborah Philp (301) 594-6578, dphilp@dir.nidcr.nih.gov

About the NIDCR DIR Office of Education

The Office of Education is an access point, advocate, and resource for intramural trainees and candidates. The office provides assistance in interpreting the many educational and training opportunities available at the NIDCR and the NIH. Staff also helps with the application process in several ways:

• Identifying research laboratories (see Division of Intramural Research) with projects matching the interests of the candidate
• Arranging interviews with prospective preceptors
• Assisting with relocating and living in the Washington, D.C. area
• Helping with the transition into the Division of Intramural Research

In addition, the office develops educational curricula and training plans and assists fellows in a customized training program. Fellows seeking specialized sources of training are encouraged to contact office staff.

The office also can provide help with career development and job finding, as well as workplace conflict prevention and resolution.

• 2008 Research Trainees

Training Opportunities at NIDCR

• NIH Summer Internship Program
  Intended to provide exciting research experiences on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland or at selected off-campus NIH locations. Summer internships generally last from eight to ten weeks. A stipend is provided. Students must be enrolled at least half-time in an accredited U.S. high school and be at least 16 years of age prior to June 1st. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.

• Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellowship
  Offers participants the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland or at other off-campus NIH locations. The stipend ranges depending on experience. Candidates must begin this fellowship within two years of receipt of an undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. college or university. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
  
  
• Technical Intramural Research Training Award
  Designed for individuals with a bachelor’s or master’s degree who plan to have a career as a research support professional. These are two-year appointments and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The stipend ranges depending on experience. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
  
  
• NIH Academy
  Intended for recent college graduates to spend a year engaged in health disparities research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Health disparities are differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of disease and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States. Salary and housing are provided. Applicants must apply within one year of graduation from college.

• NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award
  Designed to expose dental students to the latest advances in oral health research and administration. The program is a minimum of eight weeks during the summer on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. NIDCR provides a stipend and the nominating dental school provides support for air or ground transportation. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. dental school. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
  
  
• NIH Summer Research Fellowship
  Provides training in research procedures and principles of independent investigation to first-, second-, and third-year dental and medical students. Students will work with senior research scientists on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland or at other off-campus NIH locations. A stipend is provided. Students must be enrolled at least half-time in an accredited medical or dental school. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
  
  
• NIH Clinical Research Training Program
  Meant to attract research-oriented dental and medical students to the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Fellows spend a year engaged in a mentored clinical research project in an area that matches their personal interests and goals. An annual stipend is provided and moving expenses are reimbursed. Candidates must have completed a year of clinical rotations prior to starting the program. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
  
  
• NIH Clinical Electives Program
  Offers a full complement of elective rotations for third- and fourth-year dental and medical students. Designed to provide first-hand experience in the design, conduct and management of clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland. It is recommended that all application materials be received by May 1 preceding the academic year of the desired session. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited dental or medical school. Both U.S. citizens and non-citizens are eligible to apply.
  
  
• Graduate Partnerships Program
  Allows students to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland while they are pursuing a PhD in the biomedical sciences. Prospective PhD students must apply to university programs that have a formal partnership with NIH. Candidates must submit both the university application and the online Graduate Partnerships Program application. They also must meet the admission deadline established by each program and have U.S. citizenship or permanent residence. A stipend is provided.
  
  
• Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Research Scholars Program
  Participants of the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes-National Institutes of Health (NIH) joint program work in NIH laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland as part of a research team and are given the opportunity to attend conferences and meetings. Most students participate in the year-long program after their second or third year of dental or medical school. Candidates must be in good standing at a U.S. dental or medical school and must receive permission from the school to participate in the program. An annual salary is provided. Joint PhD candidates are not eligible.
  
  
• Individual Predoctoral Dental Scientist Fellowship (F30)
  Provides a maximum of five years support to students pursuing both DDS/DMD and PhD degrees. An annual stipend and partial tuition are provided. Additional funds are available for other training-related expenses. Applicants must be enrolled in a DDS/DMD program at an accredited U.S. dental school and accepted in a related scientific PhD (or equivalent degree) program. Students attending any accredited U.S. dental school may apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents at the time of award.

Predoctoral Students

• Graduate Partnerships Program
  Allows students to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland while they are pursuing a PhD in the biomedical sciences. Prospective PhD students must apply to university programs that have a formal partnership with NIH. Candidates must submit both the university application and the online Graduate Partnerships Program application. They also must meet the admission deadline established by each program and have U.S. citizenship or permanent residence. A stipend is provided.
  
  
• Predoctoral Intramural Research Training Award Fellowship
  Provides support to trainees to conduct their doctoral thesis research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland under the guidance and direction of a senior investigator who will serve as the trainee's mentor. The program is available to students who are enrolled in doctoral programs in the biomedical sciences in accredited U.S. universities. Fellowships are granted for one year periods to support full-time training in NIH laboratories. The maximum duration of a fellowship will normally be three years or until the student receives the doctoral degree, whichever comes first. The stipend ranges depending on experience. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
  
  
• Individual Predoctoral Dental Scientist Fellowship (F30)
  Provides a maximum of five years support to students pursuing both DDS/DMD and PhD degrees. An annual stipend and partial tuition are provided. Additional funds are available for other training related expenses. Applicants must be enrolled in a DDS/DMD program at an accredited U.S. dental school and accepted in a related scientific PhD (or an equivalent degree) program. Students attending any accredited U.S. dental school may apply. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents at the time of award.
  
  
• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellows (F31)
  Provides support to students who have identified a dissertation project and an appropriate dissertation director in an area of research supported by NIDCR as described in the Institute’s Strategic Plan.
  
  Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree and must be enrolled in a PhD or equivalent research degree program, a formally combined MD/PhD program, or another combined professional doctoral/research PhD graduate program in the biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences. Applicants must be at the dissertation research stage of their doctoral training.

• Postdoctoral Fellowships
  Various positions are available at the NIDCR/NIH in Bethesda, Maryland to train professionals with a PhD and/or a DDS, DMD, MD, or DVM. Applicants must be within five years of their graduation date and have less than five years previous postdoctoral experience to apply. Stipend amounts depend on the level of experience and the type of positions available. Perspective applicants can view current NIH postdoctoral openings and contact individual NIDCR laboratories of interest to identify future research positions. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. US citizens and non-US citizens may apply.
  
  
• Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowships (VF)
  Postdoctoral positions are available at the NIDCR/NIH in Bethesda, Maryland to train professionals from all non-U.S. countries with a PhD and/or a DDS, DMD, MD, or DVM. Applicants must be within five years of receiving their graduate degree and have less than five years of relevant previous postdoctoral experience to apply. The stipends for postdoctoral Visiting Fellows are adjusted yearly, and benefits include health insurance for the trainee and his/her family. Perspective applicants can view current NIH postdoctoral openings and contact individual NIDCR laboratories of interest to identify future research positions. Citizens of all non-U.S. countries may apply.
  
  
• NIDCR Clinical Research Fellowship
  This is a two-year full-time program designed to train health professionals in the latest clinical research methodologies. Qualified applicants hold a DDS/DMD, MD/DO, RN, or RDH degree and have demonstrated a sustained interest in dental/oral/craniofacial research, as evidenced by prior research experience and/or masters or doctoral level education beyond clinical training. Projects are designed to facilitate translational research in which clinical research projects are conducted that complement basic science laboratory projects. Fellows work with investigators in the Clinical Research Core and the Human Craniofacial Genetics section. Fellows are provided with a stipend and may be eligible for NIH Loan Repayment Programs. For more information contact Dr. Demetrio L. Domingo at 301-594-9726, ddomingo@mail.nih.gov
  
  
• Individual NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)
  Provides up to three years support for trainees at academic institutions to broaden their scientific background or extend their potential for research in health-related areas. Applicants must have a doctoral degree. The stipend ranges depending on years of postdoctoral experience. Additional funds are available for other training related expenses. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents at the time of award.
  
  
• Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
  Supports three to five years of supervised study for clinically trained professionals with a doctoral degree to pursue training in patient-oriented research. Patient-oriented research is defined as research conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin such as tissues, specimens, and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator directly interacts with human subjects. This area of research includes: 1) mechanisms of human disease; 2) therapeutic interventions; 3) clinical trials, and; 4) the development of new technologies.
  
  Candidates must have a sponsoring institution and mentor. Salary, fringe benefits, and training-related expenses are provided. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents at the time of award.
  
  
• NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
  This two-phase award provides the opportunity for promising postdoctoral scientists to receive both mentored and independent research support from the same award. The initial 1-2 year mentored phase will allow investigators to complete their supervised research work, publish results, and search for an independent research position. The second, independent phase, years 3-5, will allow awardees who secure an assistant professorship, or equivalent position, to establish their own research program and successfully apply for an NIH Investigator-Initiated (R01) grant. Outstanding postdoctoral candidates who have terminal clinical or research doctorates (or equivalent doctoral degrees) and who have no more than 5 years of postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application, or subsequent resubmission(s) are eligible. Former principal investigators of NIH Small Grants (R03) or Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21) are also eligible.
  
  The NIDCR welcomes applications from postdoctoral scientists seeking to establish an independent research career in social, behavioral, biomedical, and biological science fields relevant to the NIDCR Strategic Plan. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to a career in oral health research, and funding priority will be given to applicants holding a dental degree.
  
  In addition, although previous K awardees are not generally eligible to apply for a second K award, the NIDCR will accept K99/R00 applications from dentist scientists who have used a previous NIDCR-funded K08 or K23 award to earn the PhD degree. Such applicants must have completed the PhD before applying. All other eligibility requirements and conditions of the K99/R00 mechanism apply.
  
  For more details regarding the Pathway to Independence Award, see the NIH New Investigators website.
  
  
• Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (K25)
  Supports career development of investigators with quantitative scientific and engineering backgrounds outside of biology or medicine who wish to focus their research on behavioral, basic or clinical biomedical research. Candidates must have an advanced degree in a quantitative area of science or engineering (e.g. MSEE, PhD, DSc) and have a sponsoring institution and mentor. Salary, fringe benefits and additional funds for research support are provided. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents at the time of award.

• Loan Repayment Programs
  Meant to attract talented health professionals to careers in clinical, health disparity, pediatric, or contraceptive and infertility research. In exchange for a two-year commitment to your research career, the National Institutes of Health will repay up to $35,000 per year of qualified educational debt, pay an additional 39% of the repayments to cover Federal taxes, and may reimburse any state taxes that result from these benefits. Applicants must (1) have a doctoral degree from an accredited institution; (2) be a government employee (3) have qualifying student loan debt equal to at least 20% of annual salary; (4) be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents.

Dr. Deborah Philp
Director, Office of Education
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
National Institutes of Health
Building 30, Room 131, MSC-4310
Bethesda, Maryland
20892-4310
Phone: (301) 594-6578
Fax: (301) 480-5353
E-mail:  dphilp@dir.nidcr.nih.gov