The following requirements must be met for a trainee to be considered for the grant:

• Applicant must be enrolled in a U.S. medical school and be in good standing at the time the application is submitted.
• Applicants of racial and/or ethnic demographic groups historically underrepresented in medicine (URM). For the purposes of this program, races and ethnicities that have been identified as URM include but are not limited to American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander are given preference.
• Applicant must identify a mentor with a successful record of research productivity (more information is available in the application guidelines).
• The primary mentor (and co-mentor, if there is one) must be an ASTRO member.
• Research must be initiated at a North American institution during the summer of 2024.
• The selected institution must have an established research and clinical program and an ACGME-accredited radiation oncology residency program with clinical faculty available to serve as mentors.
• Letters of commitment from both the mentor and the department chair at the selected institution must accompany the application. The letter of commitment from the mentor should confirm that the institution is able to fund the project.

• Applications must be submitted in ProposalCentral. Emailed, faxed or mailed applications will not be considered.
• If you need help creating a ProposalCentral account, please read the instructions.
• Once you create a ProposalCentral account, log in and click on the "Grant Opportunities" tab, then filter by Grant Maker and select ASTRO from the dropdown menu. Finally, click on the link for the Medical Student Fellowship Application and begin submitting your information.
• The deadline to apply is Thursday, February 15, 2024.

The ASTRO Medical Student Fellowship Award will offer students a $5,000 package that includes a $3,000 stipend for an eight-week training program (exceptions can be made for a longer program but will need to be approved by the HEDI Workforce Diversity Committee), $1,000 for the completion of a final report and $1,000 toward the cost of travel for the 2025 Annual Meeting.

May 2024

The awardee will receive a direct payment of $3,000 paid at the beginning of the fellowship upon receipt of a confirmation letter, project timeline and completed W-9 form (awardees will be given more detailed instructions in their notification letters). In the confirmation letter, the attendees will need to attest that the summer fellowship research project can take place during the summer break under the constraints of the ongoing pandemic at their host medical school. ASTRO does not pay indirect costs, overhead costs or salary support for the principal or co-principal investigator and has no responsibility for support beyond that stated in this application. This support is not for mentors.

December 2024

After the HEDI Workforce Diversity Committee reviews and approves the awardee’s final report, the awardee will receive an additional $1,000. Final reports must be received by Friday, December 6, 2024 (more details are provided in the application guidelines). Awardees who submit reports later than the deadline (unless pre-approved by the HEDI Workforce Diversity Committee) will not receive this additional $1,000.

The awardee must submit an abstract to the 2025 ASTRO Annual Meeting before the abstract submission site closes. Regardless of whether or not the abstract is accepted for presentation, the awardee is expected to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting; complimentary registration will be provided whether or not the abstract is accepted for presentation/inclusion. ASTRO does not cover the abstract submission fee; it is understood that the stipend will help offset that minor cost.

Fall 2025

An additional $1,000 will be awarded toward travel expenses related to the 2025 ASTRO Annual Meeting. Specifically, the awardee will submit travel expenditures with a completed expense form and itemized receipts after attending the meeting and will be reimbursed for up to $1,000 (any additional costs are the responsibility of the awardee). ASTRO will waive the Annual Meeting registration fee for an awardee only if the awardee provides the name and control number of the abstract they submitted, regardless of whether or not the abstract is actually accepted for presentation/inclusion.

ASTRO Blog

• January 2021: Past Recipient of Minority Summer Fellowship Award Shares her Experience

ASTROnews

• Summer 2018: Why Mentorship Matters and Reflections from a Minority Summer Fellowship Awardee
• Winter 2017: ASTRO Minority Summer Fellowship awardee Jean-Claude Rwigema shares his experiences
• 2017 Annual Meeting Guide: ASTRO-NCI Diversity Symposium Addresses Impact of the ACA
• Winter 2015: ASTRO Minority Summer Fellowship grants stipends to medical students
• Winter 2014: Two medical students receive $4,800 in research stipends from ASTRO
• Winter 2013: ASTRO awards two medical students with $6,000 in research stipends