NIH Oxford Cambridge Scholars Program

• Timelines & Benchmarks
• Roles of Mentors
• Current Cohort
• Overview of LPM
• Training Plan
• Discoveries & Pubs
• New Class Resources
• Current Student Resources

Timelines/Benchmarks

Timelines and Benchmarks of Graduate Study

• Admissions and Orientation
• First Year
• Second Year
• Third Year
• Fourth Year

 

Admissions and Orientation Period

February

At the time of the student interviews in February, students will meet with a small number of potential mentors.  Students should begin serious consideration of mentors at this time, because after acceptance the window in which to select one’s mentor is relatively short. It is generally expected that at the time of the interview, students will have already identified several individuals at NIH, Oxford or Cambridge who may be well suited to serve as mentors.  Students will also be asked at this time to state general areas of scientific interest suitable for doctoral work.

March/April

After acceptance into the program, each student must apply to either Oxford or Cambridge using the links and information available in the New Class Resources page of the website.  It is important to submit these applications to Oxford or Cambridge universities as soon as possible so as to have the best chance of being admitted to your first choice of college. Students may apply to both institutions if they are unsure which they plan to attend, but they must be sure to decline their offer from the appropriate university once their mentor choice is finalized.  Marshall, Rhodes, Gates and Churchill Scholars should speak with the administrators of their particular scholarship regarding University matriculation.  MSTP students should apply the December before they plan to matriculate into the university

Students should consult the Collaborations Database to determine if there are any pre-arranged projects that meet their scientific interests, but they are also encouraged to meet with any faculty whose research appeals to them.  Class Deans will be assigned to assist students in developing their projects, and these individuals may also appoint special advisors to suggest specific research opportunities in the student’s areas of interest.  

May

After the student acceptance, usually by April 15th, the program sends the required paperwork for a U.S. government appointment under a pre-doctoral Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA).  This mechanism allows the NIH to pay you, track you, establish an NIH ID and email account for you, and provide you with health insurance and other benefits. If you do not receive a welcome packet by April 15th, please contact the program administrators immediately. Track 1 MD/PhD students will not receive IRTA appointments for orientation the year they are accepted, but may receive them the summer before they begin their PhD research or during their summer rotation at the NIH.  It is extremely important that students fill out and return this paperwork promptly.  Paperwork is due June 1st.  Students should continue their mentor searches and begin to arrange visits to the NIH and UK laboratories during visit week.  Your Class Dean can help you with these arrangements.

June

IRTA paperwork must be completed and submitted to the OxCam Program by June 1st. At the end of June and/or beginning of July, you will visit the NIH for one week and the UK for one week to meet with potential advisors and investigate potential dissertation laboratories and collaborative projects.  Students will arrange their travel through the OxCam Program and will be reimbursed for their expenses.  IMPORTANT: DO NOT PURCHASE AIRLINE TICKETS WITHOUT FIRST RECEIVING INSTRUCTION FROM THE OXCAM PROGRAM.

 

During the NIH and UK visit weeks, you will meet and interact with other students already in the program and participate in the Scholars’ Colloquium, the location of which rotates each year between Oxford, Cambridge, and the NIH.  In 2010, it will be held at Cambridge University on June 28th-30th.  Attendance at the Colloquium is mandatory each year for all mentors and Scholars. During NIH visit week a dinner will be held during which new Scholars are formally inducted into the program.  This Evening of Honors is hosted by the International Biomedical Research Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of and excellence in biomedical research. In pursuit of its mission, the Alliance provides philanthropic, scientific and industry resources dedicated to developing the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program into a world class training program for emerging leaders in the biomedical sciences.  Each student is awarded the medal of the Scholarship during the dinner.

After the NIH and UK visit week you will need to finalize your project and your co-mentors. be asked to choose a project and a pair of co-mentors.  In order to comply with visa deadlines, you should make this decision by the end of June if you plan to begin your research in the UK.  If you take longer to make this decision, you will have to being your research at NIH.

July

Mentor selection should be complete at the beginning of July or soon after.  As soon as their UK mentors are identified, all students will fill in the paperwork required for foreign travel to the UK and apply to the British Consulate in New York for a General Student Visa for a 4-year visa to attend a UK University.  Supporting documents from your UK University and the OxCam Program will need to be attached to your Visa application (see below in the Visa section of the Handbook).  The visa application process should be initiated no later than July 1st to assure that you will have the documentation necessary to enter the UK as a student in residence for more than six months.  Students should consult with the administrators at their chosen University if they have any questions.

August/September

Your pre-IRTA appointment begins at the NIH on August 1st.  During the first week on campus, you must participate in mandatory orientation activities to be delivered by the OxCam Program and the GPP.   Please note that your first paycheck will not be deposited in the bank until the end of August.  Upon arrival, your primary objective is to write up an in-depth, 5 page (single spaced) research proposal with the help of your mentors and advisors (see Appendix I).  It should contain the specific aims of your research and a brief timeline of when and where the work will be performed.  The research proposal must be approved and signed by both mentors, your Class Dean, and the Program Directors.

The development of the research proposal enables you to establish the background knowledge that will be foundational to the successful initiation of your project.  As you are developing the proposal, you will engage in literature reviews, attend lectures, and explore NIH and UK resources (e.g., video conferencing with your UK mentor).  You will submit the signed research proposal by the third week in September.  The submission of the proposal is mandatory before you embark on your travel to the UK to begin your work there. The same deadline applies to students beginning their first research year at the NIH as opposed to Oxford or Cambridge.   Note that the specific division of your time between the NIH and the UK, within the 50:50 guideline, as well as where you will start your research, is determined by the science and a joint decision between you and your mentors.  (See appendix I for more guidance on writing a research proposal.)

If you and your co-mentors determine that it is important for you to undertake any formal coursework at the NIH or in the UK, arrangements should be made at this time as to how best to pursue this option.  It will be useful during your orientation time at the NIH to acquaint yourself with your NIH mentor’s Administrative Officer (AO) and, if possible, his/her Laboratory or Branch Chief.