Sarnoff Fellowship Program

Application Schedule and Information

Each applicant must submit the following:

• No more than a two-page essay (1/2 inch margins and Arial 11 font) summarizing a question you find interesting related to cardiovascular disease. How might you go about answering that question through scientific research?  This should be an idea you generated through your experience in medical school and review of the literature, not a project you have worked on in the past.  Also, the text should be developed by the applicant independent of direct input from a mentor.
• A half page describing motivation to pursue a year of dedicated research in cardiovascular disease
• Completed application form and signed statement of confidentiality
• Official medical school transcript
• Curriculum vitae
• Recommendation from the applicant's Sponsor
• Two additional recommendations
• Any other material that the applicant determines is appropriate to support the application

Applicants will be matched with a Sarnoff advisor who can provide any guidance needed in preparing the application. 

Fellowship Location

We strongly encourage students to spend the Fellowship year at an institution in the United States other than their medical school, but recognize that, for some, leaving their home institution could present a significant hardship. Requests for exceptions to this policy will be considered based on personal reasons and availability of suitable laboratories, but must be stated at the time of application.

Selection of Preceptor

The Preceptor provides an appropriate research project and oversees the Fellow's research training. It is not necessary for the applicant to have developed a research project or to have identified potential Preceptors at the time of application.

The Fellow is assigned an Advisor from the Sarnoff Scientific Committee. The Advisor assists the Fellow in selecting a Preceptor who can direct a project in the area of the Fellow's interest, which must be broadly within the cardiovascular or cerebrovascular sciences.

Fellows are encouraged to visit several laboratories and to meet with several prospective Preceptors prior to selecting the Preceptor. The Scientific Committee Advisor approves the Fellow's choice of laboratory and takes an active role in monitoring the Fellow's progress during the research year. This includes a site visit to meet with the Fellow and the Preceptor once the research is underway.

Key Elements of Sarnoff Fellowship

The cornerstone of the Sarnoff Fellowship is the special interaction between the medical students and the laboratory Preceptor with scientific and mentoring expertise. This close relationship, developed during the course of the Fellowship, and continuing throughout the Fellow's career, is enhanced by additional interactions with the Sarnoff Scientific Committee and Sarnoff Alumni. These experiences cultivate a life-long appreciation and enthusiasm for cardiovascular investigation, leading many to choose a career in cardiovascular research. The Foundation's investment in the Sarnoff Fellow is life-long.

Expectations of Awardees

During the year in the laboratory, the Sarnoff Fellow will undertake his/her own research project and assume responsibility for it from inception to completion. The Fellow is expected, with guidance, to develop the hypothesis and specific aims of the project, to participate in the experimental design, to carry out appropriate experiments, to interpret the data with the help of his/her Preceptor, and to prepare an original manuscript for submission to an appropriate peer-reviewed journal. Each Fellow presents his/her results at the Sarnoff Foundation's Annual Scientific Meeting, as well as at appropriate national meetings.

Examples of Cardiovascular Research

The Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, like the American Heart Association, takes a broad view of cardiovascular research. Examples include:

• Molecular and cellular investigations related to cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology, neural control of cardiovascular function, cell transport and metabolism, cellular electrophysiology and ion channels, and excitation contraction coupling
• Molecular and cellular biology of cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle
• Regulation of cell growth, growth factors, cell cycle genes, programmed cell death, cell surface and nuclear receptors, gene transcription, and molecular signaling Vascular biology, lipoproteins and lipid metabolism, endothelial and smooth muscle cell biology, inflammation, cytokines, cell adhesion, regulation of extracellular matrix, and regulation of thrombosis and platelet function
• Angiogenesis
• Clinical investigations related to atherosclerosis and arterial injury, arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities, cardiac failure and myocardial preservation, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and thrombosis
• Animal models of cardiovascular disease
• Cardiovascular imaging
• Molecular and human genetics
• Transplant biology
• Cardiovascular surgery
• Biomedical engineering