2017 HHMI Med Fellows Thread

[adimelon]

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I couldn't find a thread for this years application, so thought I'd start one.

Who all have applied? I am quite anxious, excited and nervous to hear back!!!

 

[WHCHF]

I've applied. Thought I'd join your thread


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[HereWeGo21]

I applied.

Mandatory neurotic post:
Anyone get an email from HHMI sent a few days ago letting us know about expected announcement dates from NIH, Sarnoff and others?

I assume this was a perfunctory email sent to everyone, but wanted to ask.

 

[adimelon]

I applied.

Mandatory neurotic post:
Anyone get an email from HHMI sent a few days ago letting us know about expected announcement dates from NIH, Sarnoff and others?

I assume this was a perfunctory email sent to everyone, but wanted to ask.

Oh yeh absolutely got that email. Was scary. Saw it on my phone and it displayed the subject and first sentence which was 'Dear applicant, we appreciate your application....'.

Gave me an impression of a rejected application haha

 

[whatTREEisTHAT?]

How does this work exactly? You take a year off to do research or can you do it simultaneously during 3rd year.

 

[adimelon]

year off, check out link below

https://www.hhmi.org/developing-scientists/medical-research-fellows-program

 

[WHCHF]

Oh yeh absolutely got that email. Was scary. Saw it on my phone and it displayed the subject and first sentence which was 'Dear applicant, we appreciate your application....'.

Gave me an impression of a rejected application haha

Exact same email and reaction. That first sentence was a poor choice. Still, not a "no," which is fine by me.


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[pbrocks15]

Just curious for those of you that are applying, how did you guys pick your mentors?

 

[adimelon]

Just curious for those of you that are applying, how did you guys pick your mentors?

Found a mentor to work with year 1 summer. Worked hard in the lab, enjoyed my work and hit it off with my PI. He offered to become my HHMI mentor if I was interested in applying.

 

[HereWeGo21]

Just curious for those of you that are applying, how did you guys pick your mentors?

I called HHMI, and they told me previous mentors who successfully applied to HHMI with projects in my area of interest. I contacted a few of them, and one of them agreed to apply with me.

 

[adimelon]

Found a mentor to work with year 1 summer. Worked hard in the lab, enjoyed my work and hit it off with my PI. He offered to become my HHMI mentor if I was interested in applying.

Oh yeah..also, my mentor is NOT an HHMI PI, however he is extremely well funded, amazing publishing record and usually has atleast 1 HHMI Med Fellow each year (max of 2 though).

Keep in mind that if your mentor of interest is NON HHMI, he or she must be well funded and productive. Having previous HHMI Fellows in their lab helps too.

 

[Withinparadox]

How well published does the student need to be for acceptance into the program?

 

[WHCHF]

I called HHMI, and they told me previous mentors who successfully applied to HHMI with projects in my area of interest. I contacted a few of them, and one of them agreed to apply with me.

I simply reviewed the HHMI's list of mentors and decided to reach out based on shared interests. I contacted him second year and he agreed to sponsor my app, but advised I wait until 3rd year to apply.


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[WHCHF]

How well published does the student need to be for acceptance into the program?

There is some debate on this topic. Having some research and pubs certainly can't hurt. However, having an EXTENSIVE pub history arguably might... The HHMI is supposedly wanting to stimulate interest in research among students not already securely-rooted in the field; hence the personal statement prompt. Just my opinion though!


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[Withinparadox]

I simply reviewed the HHMI's list of mentors and decided to reach out based on shared interests. I contacted him second year and he agreed to sponsor my app, but advised I wait until 3rd year to apply.


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Why until 3rd year?

 

[Justanothermedstudent]

.

 

[WHCHF]

Why until 3rd year?

Hm... my understanding was that it was his preference. Giving it more thought:

1) It's desirable to have a year of clinicals under your belt, especially if your research coincides with the specialty you'll be pursuing in the match.

2) There is the very slim (potential) advantage of listing your STEP performance on your CV. This may or may not demonstrate your competitiveness for the specialty you list as planning to pursue.

Again though, those are just initial thoughts based solely on my mentor's preference. I don't directly know anyone who has matched this program before, so my impressions are purely anecdotal. I'm sorry I can't be of more help in this regard.


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[Duke1K]

Just making myself available if you have any questions about the program - it's a fantastic year, in which you'll rub shoulders with some of the greatest scientists in the world. A very, very special program. The $$$ doesn't hurt either. Good luck everyone!

 

[WHCHF]

Just making myself available if you have any questions about the program - it's a fantastic year, in which you'll rub shoulders with some of the greatest scientists in the world. A very, very special program. The $$$ doesn't hurt either. Good luck everyone!

I'm inferring that you're a current HHMI fellow then? Thank you for the good luck wishes!


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[pbrocks15]

Just making myself available if you have any questions about the program - it's a fantastic year, in which you'll rub shoulders with some of the greatest scientists in the world. A very, very special program. The $$$ doesn't hurt either. Good luck everyone!

Hey Duke1K, do you have any general advice for future applicants or can share a short spiel on your experience there?

 

[pbrocks15]

Hm... my understanding was that it was his preference. Giving it more thought:

1) It's desirable to have a year of clinicals under your belt, especially if your research coincides with the specialty you'll be pursuing in the match.

2) There is the very slim (potential) advantage of listing your STEP performance on your CV. This may or may not demonstrate your competitiveness for the specialty you list as planning to pursue.

Again though, those are just initial thoughts based solely on my mentor's preference. I don't directly know anyone who has matched this program before, so my impressions are purely anecdotal. I'm sorry I can't be of more help in this regard.


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Would it worry you though that you'll be taking a year off before going on away rotations? Or do you think that during the year you might have the time also to prepare for those aways?

 

[WHCHF]

Would it worry you though that you'll be taking a year off before going on away rotations? Or do you think that during the year you might have the time also to prepare for those aways?

From the limited guidance I've received from successfully matched upperclassmen, I don't think I'll forget enough between the end of third year and an away rotation to worry about appearing glaringly deficient to PDs. I've been advised that it's most important to be present, to be willing, and to be well prepared to present your research when the time comes. Other than that, I'm hoping that (if HHMI allows) I'll be able to assist my mentor in the OR and clinic throughout the year in the meantime.


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[Duke1K]

Hey Duke1K, do you have any general advice for future applicants or can share a short spiel on your experience there?

The quoted below is a good start. Other things I'll add are: (1) having a well funded mentor is important. From what I understand, whether you get HHMI is based on three things, in equal measure: your CV, your mentor, and your proposal. Do the easy part of finding a good lab. (2) You should have prior lab experience; this is not a fellowship for people who've never worked in a lab, though people have done it before. You do not need to have published. (3) Your project should be basic or translational. The proposal should be very detailed, and written in scientific language - which can be very hard for some people to do, so you need time to learn it and get feedback. Generally, you should plan everything several months in advance to allow for multiple drafts of your proposal.

The people who got the HHMI from my school aren't the smartest in our class and probably don't have the highest test scores, but they are all scientifically-minded (as opposed to or in addition to being clinically-minded). You can tell because most of the questions they ask are "why" questions with testable hypotheses, and very interested in "going deep" into the subject matter.

The required HHMI conferences are amazing. I won't mention names, but drinking with famous PIs is always fun, and they have some of the best stories. And the science they present is fascinating.

From https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/hhmi-research-fellowship-during-medical-school.994499/

What are they looking for?/What is the most important part of the application?
I think the questions by Twinnering and evilbooya (the first one) can be equated - they're looking for the thing that is most important about you, which you've hopefully not hidden. The beauty of these kinds of applications is their open-endednes; sure, they're sterilized of emotion and listed as the "personal essay, explanations of past research, project proposal," but it's really just an autobiography, and everyone loves talking about themselves. The application doesn't have any important foci - it has specific boundaries on where you can say certain things. Rather, the important foci are what you lay down, what's important about you. I try to convey a few levels of my personality: my basic curiosity of how things are computed (short anecdotes in introductions are a good place), or my work ethic. I think above all, they are hiring a person, so it's most important that they see that. They can objectively tell how your science is going to be, they have a ton of experts on that, but what they need help understanding, and what you have to guide them to, is that you are a unique student-researcher who will change the world at some point so they might as well start helping you now.

Are the LoRs as important as the true application?
The LoRs corroborate the foundation of your story, which is your past work. No corroboration, no foundation, no true application. This is an endorsement from their peer(s), so there are at least 2 factors (imo) that influence the weight of a LoR: the level of regard of the letter writer and their knowledge of your impact in the project. Best case scenario is a Nobel laureate that befriended you and made you first author on a Nature paper, and the worse case scenario is fresh lab head that only remembers the time you spilled their coffee. Most of us fall in between, so with the quality of the foundation in mind the rest of the application can come together, focusing on the weak spots.

Does taking 2 years off look bad?
Honest answer: I don't know, I can't say because I haven't returned yet and am far from residency applications. I am anticipating that if the years are filled with a vigorous productivity and something tangible like a paper, poster, or presentation then it'll look fine. I also hope to work at a location that fosters this kind of training, so I suppose you can sample bias your choices toward the programs that look for these kinds of applicants. If 2 years is somehow a red flag, then perhaps it'll be enough to prompt them to look closer at your application, so in this view it might serve as a way to stand out.

Which program did you do? What was the experience like?
I'm not done yet so I'd like not to reveal exactly where I am. I'll try to get back to this.

Any recommendations to applicants?
Pick a PI that will offer you an interesting (to you!) project, mentorship (if it's missing you'll hate it because you're lost more than you'd like to admit...), and do the background reading necessary to make a convincing grant. Pretend you are submitting to the NIH as an RO1. Get a past example of a successful one if you can. More than you, the PI, and a few friends should read it - send it to a former PI if you can, or a post-doc or grad student you respect. The point is, get more eyes on it, eyes that are not in that field. They should be able to understand it. If they can't, then the administrators of whichever program you're applying to most likely will not understand it (or have the patience to try). Lots of pictures helps!

What criteria do the HHMI people evaluate the submitted applications?
What everyone who has a **** ton of money does when they want to invest it in a project: make sure there is a strong likelihood of return on investment. This goes for NIH and Doris Duke applications, too. I'm really not trying to be a smart-ass here, but what criteria would you use? These are institutions with money, so it's not a bunch of professors around a table, these are scientific investors, so they want more than an outline of the questions and experiments that can lead to answers. Let's assume the science is sound. What they want is a picture of how thoroughly you've anticipated technique drawbacks, error rates, estimates of the time required for the necessary experiments you've laid out, time required to learn new stuff, time to redo stuff, time to redo it again. What if your project cannot go to completion in the time allotted, can you still deliver something?

If you do not have an HHMI professor as your PI does that affect your application greatly even if you are applying with a strong project proposal with a professor who is well funded by the NIH?
I cannot say from my personal experience, but from what I have heard it does not negatively affect your chances.

In your opinion what makes an application stand out?
2 things: voice and a moderate degree of disinhibition. These reviewers are reading hundreds of applications (where tens of applicants are often from the same school) so it's bound to get somewhat monotonous. A strong voice captures their attention, almost engages them as if there were a speaker present, and I think this can break the monotony and shift a greater amount of their attention and memory to the current application. By disinhibition I mean allowing yourself to geek out, philosophize and think "what if." I think by posing new ways of looking at things you can get the reader to question you, and the point isn't that they agree but that they've stopped and thought about you. And they didn't do this with the previous applications.

Some important things y'all should note and rejoice in, for there is hope for all. I personally had an average MCAT score (f*ckin' standardized tests), middle of the road grades, and no prior publications (though I hope to double that number!..). See, anyone can do it. Good luck in all of your endeavors. Peace on this Earth.

 

[BronxBomber]

Why until 3rd year?

I received an HHMI fellowship after MS-1, right in the middle of my pre-clinical curriculum. There is no set time when you have to apply, but most of the fellows have finished their 3rd year. Some fellows go to schools that require a fellowship year in the 3rd year of their 4 or 5 year curriculum.

Ultimately, they want to motivate talented people who are teetering on the edge between clinician and clinician-researcher. If they see that potential in you, then I'm sure you have a shot.

 

[adimelon]

Anyone know what time they release their decision?

 

[WHCHF]

Anyone know what time they release their decision?

There was speculation about this last year, but I haven't seen anything definitive. I've decided that knowing would only cause a pointless neurosis, so I'm just going to wait it out. lol


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[dragonbalzeaster]

based on previous threads they email on thursday midnight at 12 going into friday. not sure if it is the same this year.

 

[samsunimomo]

Interested in applying for the fellowship for the coming year. I have 4+ basic science publications and have won well-regarded pre-doctoral research fellowships. However, I'm wondering whether (1) my research background is going to count against me and (2) what "translational research" means to HHMI. I'm thinking of doing more database genome-wide genetic risk prediction, with minimal wet lab component. Would this be kosher?

 

[WHCHF]

Interested in applying for the fellowship for the coming year. I have 4+ basic science publications and significant background in research + well-known pre-doctoral research fellowships awards However, I'm wondering whether (1) my research background is going to count against me and (2) what "translational research" means to HHMI. I'm thinking of doing more database genome-wide genetic risk prediction, with minimal wet lab component. Would this be kosher?

If you can effectively put into prose why further research with the support of the fellowship is important to your career development, I don't personally see why you wouldn't make for an excellent applicant. There was, however, a similarly well-qualified applicant last year (check the 2016 thread) that wasn't selected. Another poster posited it might've been their (over) qualifications combined with a clinical project that precluded them, but I'd take this with a grain of salt.


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[Duke1K]

Interested in applying for the fellowship for the coming year. I have 4+ basic science publications and have won well-regarded pre-doctoral research fellowships. However, I'm wondering whether (1) my research background is going to count against me and (2) what "translational research" means to HHMI. I'm thinking of doing more database genome-wide genetic risk prediction, with minimal wet lab component. Would this be kosher?

It won't count against you; there are people with 10+ basic science pubs in the program.

Several fellows do computational work. You're fine as long as it's not clinical.

 

[adimelon]

GL everyone. Trying to suppress the anxiety lol

 

[dragonbalzeaster]

anyone up right now waiting for email? very anxious

 

[Withinparadox]

I'm in!

 

[Jimsy]

I'm in!

Congrats! East coast time I'm assuming?

 

[Withinparadox]

Congrats! East coast time I'm assuming?

I'm from the West Coast, but yeah, announced 12am east coast time

 

[charleston27]

Did anyone get a rejection email at the same time?

 

[dragonbalzeaster]

did not receive email. means rejection? or is there a waitlist based on previous threads?

 

[charleston27]

No email for me yet

 

[dragonbalzeaster]

does any one know who has got acceptance during morning time previously? or is it automated email that is sent to all acceptances at midnight only.

 

[Withinparadox]

Wait, no one else got an email?!

 

[adimelon]

got it at 12:01am EST
Im in as well!!

 

[charleston27]

The only thing I could find from an old year was 2012 where they had acceptances, waitlists, and rejections come out right after midnight. Strange to have no email.

 

[superman3]

in as well. email received @12:01 a.m. I'm guessing all acceptances went out at around the same time. good luck to those still waiting. anybody else potentially deciding between this and something else (Sarnoff, Doris Duke, NIH, etc)? Please message me!!

 

[BronxBomber]

I'd love to answer any questions people have about the program! Feel free to DM me.

The fellowship has been a surreal year and I'm sad to see it coming to a close.

 

[WHCHF]

I was not selected. Congratulations to those that were.

For next year's group of applicants that will undoubtedly seek out this thread for info:

-172 applications were submitted
-73 were chosen (that's a 42% success rate)
-Acceptances go out at 12am Eastern time Friday
-Rejections are sent later in the day

Good luck to everyone.


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[Justanothermedstudent]

.

 

[HereWeGo21]

Same here. Definitely not the results I was hoping for, but grateful to have had the opportunity to apply. Congrats to everyone who received it!

Rejected.

A little bummed, but happy to have gotten into NIH MRSP, which I'll be attending.

Is it true that HHMI is a little more prestigious?

 

[adimelon]

Rejected.

A little bummed, but happy to have gotten into NIH MRSP, which I'll be attending.

Is it true that HHMI is a little more prestigious?

I dont know whether its more prestigious or not, however its what you make out of the experience. The only reason I only applied to HHMI Med Fellows was because I wanted to work with a specific PI. If that wasn't the case, I would have have applied to NIH MRSP as well.

Congratulations and I hope you have a wonderful research year!

 

[BronxBomber]

Rejected.

A little bummed, but happy to have gotten into NIH MRSP, which I'll be attending.

Is it true that HHMI is a little more prestigious?

I think they're just different. I have a tough time believing that a PD would think one is better than the other.

MSRP has the benefit of placing you at the NIH where you'll meet a slew of awesome researchers all around you. HHMI has a more geographically disparate faculty community so you'll be introduced to researchers from all over the country/world. HHMI probably has to work harder to create a community among fellows, but I think they do it pretty well.

At the NIH you might be a small fish in a big, but unparalleled pond. In HHMI, you're likely at one of the most productive labs at your institution.
It prestige is what you're after, tons of people work at the NIH at some point, but very few people ever get to say they're HHMI

Each program is awesome in its own right. Congrats on getting into the MSRP!

 

[HereWeGo21]

I think they're just different. I have a tough time believing that a PD would think one is better than the other.

MSRP has the benefit of placing you at the NIH where you'll meet a slew of awesome researchers all around you. HHMI has a more geographically disparate faculty community so you'll be introduced to researchers from all over the country/world. HHMI probably has to work harder to create a community among fellows, but I think they do it pretty well.

At the NIH you might be a small fish in a big, but unparalleled pond. In HHMI, you're likely at one of the most productive labs at your institution.
It prestige is what you're after, tons of people work at the NIH at some point, but very few people ever get to say they're HHMI

Each program is awesome in its own right. Congrats on getting into the MSRP!

Thanks! Makes sense.