To Qualify for Research Training Opportunities, you must be:
- A US citizen or permanent resident
- Must be from a health disparity population as determined by the NIMHD. Health disparity populations are defined as
- African Americans, Hispanic Americans/Latinos, Native/Indigenous Americans and Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders
- Low socio-economic groups. Guidelines: https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines
- Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria:
- Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
- Were or currently are in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families
- Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years
- Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree
- Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants
- Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child
- Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/rural-health or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying zip codes are included in the file here: https://www.qhpcertification.cms.gov/s/LowIncomeandHPSAZipCodeListingPY2020.xlsx?v=1). Only one of the two possibilities in #7 can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged background definition.
- Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act https://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm
- Individuals who are a gender or sexual minority (for example, a member of the LGBTQ+ community)
- An undergraduate (junior or senior), masters, or doctoral student enrolled in a degree granting program at any accredited US college or university. Doctoral students must have passed their qualifying or comprehensive exams for the program. Masters’ students must have strong interest in conducting research.
- GPA of 3.0 or greater
- Interested in a research career in a biomedical discipline, academic medicine, or public health
- Provide official academic transcripts and two letters of reference
- Proficient in Spanish if interested in Spanish speaking training sites.
- Able to spend 12 full weeks on the research project, either overseas or in-country.
Instructions for Completing the Application:
- Fill out the online application for admission form providing complete and accurate information.
- Upload official transcripts from every college and/or university you have ever attended (whether or not a degree was awarded). The transcripts you attach should come from the same institutions listed on the Application Form. Have official transcripts sent either by mail or email to the UAB MHRT program assistant, at the contact found below.
- Send to the contact below; Letters of reference from two persons (professor, research advisor or college mentor) who can judge your qualifications and characteristics for overseas/in-country research and training. The letter should contain as much of the following information as possible:
- How long has the person known you, and in what capacity?
- Comments on mastery of your chosen course of study; motivation and initiative; communication skills; intellectual capacity; and work habits.
- Comments on your ability to interact effectively with others, particularly in cross-cultural settings.
- Each applicant to the MHRT program is required to submit a statement of interest. Please relate your interest in public health/biomedical research to your formal education, past and current employment, research interests and career aspirations. Your statement should be as specific as possible, and be between 1 and 2 pages (single-spaced).
- Required Documentation: Please have ALL documents ready to upload when you submit the application.No draft will be saved.
- Completed online application
- Two letters of reference (you may upload if letters are given to you). These can be uploaded when you submit your application or sent separately by the recommenders.
- Upload official transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended
- Upload brief two-page resume
- Upload Statement of Interest
Send Official Transcripts and Recommendation Letters to:
Sarah G. Franklin
Phone: 205-934-6727
Email: sarahgf@uab.edu
UAB School of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology, RPHB 217
1665 University Blvd.
Birmingham AL 35294-0022
