One big descriptive post and then I'll get out and let y'all chat.
My experience: Sarnoff's awesome. I've loved it. My research capitalizes on my weird skills/interests and is absolutely unique. I've been incredibly productive here. I've had 3 Nature Genetics papers (2 coauthored, 1 first authored), a latebreaking abstract, talks, etc. Plus, the mentorship has helped me to improve in many ways beyond just lab work. Sarnoff is probably not for EVERYONE but its been absolutely wonderful for me (and for a lot of the fellows that select it). Its not the most publicized fellowship so I'd highly recommend looking into it.
Who is
Stanley? and whats the deal with this
fellowship?
Its a 1-2year research fellowship for medical students.
Sarnoff is a little different because:
(1) Its oriented toward Cardiovascular research. Anything remotely cardiovascular (or that could be applied to CVD) is fair game.
(2) You MUST perform research at a different institution (aka: not the med school you are attending). Sarnoff will assign you an awesome mentor, put you in touch with an entire
scientific board of mentors, and will help you select a fantastic lab (anywhere in the country) that fits your interests. BUT you can't stay put. You must leave. This comes straight from Stanley and is non-negotiable.
Whats awesome:
(1)
The mentorship: PM me for specific details. Suffice it to say that your mentor AND your PI will remain closely affiliated for the rest of your career. There are alumni retreats (paid for) and 2 annual meetings -- VERY helpful. There are also a number of webinars on topics like "How to get into a residency program" and "How to transition into a faculty position" etc. Does mentorship make a difference? Yes, it DOES. Dont believe me?
Check out how our fellows do with publications/match on the Sarnoff webpage under "latest news". (Thats where all the good gossip is about current and past fellows -- from baby announcements, to faculty positions, to student research)
(2)
The Research: Have a wild idea that sounds too crazy to do? This is the fellowship for you. We have placed people in labs doing everything under the sun -- Behavioral Cardiology, Cardiology in the 3rd world, Nanoparticles, Crazy biomaths, In vivo Stem cell imaging, or just straight up cellular bio ... anything is possible. Anything REMOTELY cardiovascular (or that could be applied to CVD) is fair game.
(3)
The people: I was worried that life would get lonely... HA! Actually, I see my co-fellows in Boston AT LEAST a couple times a week. We hang out, we have fun. It's awesome. We have big get togethers (where all the fellows in town have dinner) at least 1/mo. These are people who love science but are still chill.
(4)
The Perks: similar to a lot of other fellowships. Check the website for details.
The application:
(1)
personal statement-- why do you want to do research? who are you? what are you interested in?
(2)
The proposal -- This doesn't lock you into your year of research, it just shows the scientific committee that you can think scientifically. Its 3pgs. It's got a weird format. (I'd be happy to show you an example). It's a pain but you only have to do it once
(3)
The interview -- This can be tense, invigorating and challenging at the same time. Feel free to ask me questions about the format and what its like.
ANY research fellowship is fantastic (and I applied for more than one and had to make some hard choices.) If you think you MIGHT be interested I would encourage you to ask around and apply. You get a real sense of where you want to be when you interview (and its OK if that's NOT Sarnoff. Although I, of course, am biased lol!) Any of these research programs are fun, productive, and a great way to spend a year or more!
Feel free to PM me anytime with questions. (I've answered more than a few.) You can ask me ANYthing. I'm here to help.
I actually do answer and would be glad to help you out in any way that I can.
