We would like to bring to your attention the National Institutes of Health-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. The innovative features of this program may appeal to your exceptionial science students devoted to a career in biomedical research.
The NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program allows top science students to receive their doctorate from the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge at an accelerated pace. Typically, our students receive their doctorate in 4 years; the national average for doctoral program completion is 7.8 years.
As you may know, Scholars complete a project that is international and collaborative in scope, acting as the focal point between labs at the NIH and Oxford or Cambridge. After successful defense of their theses and publication of a first-author paper, Scholars receive their doctorates from Oxford or Cambridge. Graduates have gone on to faculty and post-doctoral positions at top academic institutions and throughout the biomedical research industry. More information regarding the NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program can be found here.
Additionally, we offer training for aspiring physician-scientists through the M.D./Ph.D. Partnership Training Program. Many students currently enrolled in the program receive the Ph.D. portion of their training through the Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. Please refer to the M.D./Ph.D. Partnership Training Program’s website for more information.
Please encourage any advisees who you believe are committed to a career in experimental research and have the academic and personal talent to succeed to join our mailing list. You can forward this email to a prospective applicant by following the link at the bottom of this email.
We encourage you to contact our Managing Director, Bridget Lampert, via email at oxcam@mail.nih.gov or by phone (301.496.6083) with any questions you may have.
Best wishes,
Michael J. Lenardo, M.D., Director
NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program
Richard Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., Director
NIH M.D., Ph.D. Partnership Training Program
Important Information for All Applicants
Although the submission deadline is January 3rd, it is important that you begin the free online application as soon as possible and complete at least part A, which generates requests for letters of recommendation. Students may be selected for preferential interviews if we receive their application in advance of the deadline. You can sign in to the online application portal at any time to complete the personal statement and fill in other information.
Please see this page for more detailed application instructions for the NIH Oxford Cambridge Scholars Program.
Important Information for M.D./Ph.D. Applicants
Ideally, you should apply to the NIH MD/Ph.D. Partnership Training Program at the same time as you are applying to medical school-based M.D./Ph.D. programs around the country (Track 1). You can apply to two NIH Graduate Partnership Ph.D. programs in addition to the M.D./Ph.D. Partnership. We recommend applying to one other program besides the NIH OxCam partnership depending on your interests. The NIH/Johns Hopkins Ph.D. program is not recommended due to its lengthly rotation and teaching requirements.
After admissions offers are made, you can decide whether you will attend a conventional M.D./Ph.D. training program or do your research in one of NIH’s Graduate Partnership Programs. If you are admitted to our program and many of the MSTP-funded M.D./Ph.D. Programs around the country, you become eligible for supplemental MSTP funding that will pay for tuition and stipend during the medical school phase of training.
Please note that for students applying to medical schools in this admissions cycle, your application to NIH is held in confidence, and we do not notify medical schools of your acceptance unless you request us to do so after admissions offers are made.
For more information about applying to the M.D./Ph.D. pathways please see the diagram of program tracks, FAQs, or watch a webcast of an informational session about the program with the program director.