Funding News Edition: September 01, 2021 See more articles in this edition
Yes. NIH defines the term “physician-scientist” as a scientist with a professional degree who has training in clinical care and who is engaged in independent biomedical research. At NIAID, several funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) invite applications from physician scientists:
- NIAID Physician-Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00, Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- NIAID Physician-Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00, Clinical Trial Required)
- NRSA Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions With NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)
- NRSA Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions Without NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)
Of course, having an M.D. rather than a Ph.D. does not prevent you from applying for most investigator-initiated research project grants. Many FOAs state the following requirement for individual eligibility: “Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) [PD(s)/PI(s)] is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support.”