Training at NIDCR (on the NIH campus)

High School & College Students

• NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program
  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. The program offers scholarship support, paid research training at the NIH during the summer, paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation.
   
• NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP)
  Intended to provide exciting research experiences on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland or at selected off-campus NIH locations. Summer internships generally last from eight to ten weeks. A stipend is provided. Students must be enrolled at least half-time in an accredited U.S. high school and be at least 16 years of age prior to June 1st. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
  
  
  • SIP Sub-programs
    • High School Scientific Training and Enrichment Program (HISTEP)  - Students who are at high schools with a large population of financially disadvantaged students are eligible to apply to HiSTEP.
       
    • Community College Summer Enrichment Program (CCSEP) - This special Summer Internship Program (SIP) is designed to recruit community college students to the NIH. Students in CCSEP can take advantage of all the opportunities available to other SIP interns. In addition, they will make a commitment to completing an enrichment curriculum.
       
    • Amgen Scholars - The program will give preference to undergraduates who lack opportunities to carry out independent research during the school year due, for example, to family responsibilities, economic exigencies, or inability of their institutions to provide such opportunities.
       
    • Graduate Summer Opportunity to Advance Research (GSOAR) - This SIP program is designed around the unique experiences of graduate students in the biomedical sciences. It is made possible through a partnership between the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity and the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education. 
      
      GSOAR students at NIH spend the summer working at NIH's main campus in Bethesda, Maryland, side-by-side with some of the world's leading scientists. In addition to working in a research group at the NIH, GSOAR students participate in an enrichment curriculum to develop critical thinking skills and graduate school survival skills, receive career guidance and mentorship focused on the broad array of biomedical careers, and attend leadership training focused on the skills needed to successfully work in team-oriented global research environments. If you are interested, please visit the GSOAR Program Web page for more information. Students from diverse backgrounds and students who have faced disadvantages that impacted their educational or research opportunities earlier in their educational careers are especially encouraged to apply.

Recent College Graduates

• Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellowship
  Offers participants the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland or at other off-campus NIH locations. The stipend ranges depending on experience. Candidates must begin this fellowship within two years of receipt of an undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. college or university. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
   
• NIH Academy
  Intended for recent college graduates to spend a year engaged in health disparities research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Health disparities are differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of disease and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States. Salary and housing are provided. Applicants must apply within one year of graduation from college.

Dental and Medical Students

• NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award
  Designed to expose dental students to the latest advances in oral health research and administration. The program is a minimum of eight weeks during the summer on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. NIDCR provides a stipend and the nominating dental school provides support for air or ground transportation. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. dental school. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required. Read about NIDCR Summer Dental Student awardees.
   
• NIH Summer Internship Program
  Provides training in research procedures and principles of independent investigation to first-, second-, and third-year dental and medical students. Students will work with senior research scientists on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland or at other off-campus NIH locations. A stipend is provided. Students must be enrolled at least half-time in an accredited medical or dental school. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
   
• NIH Clinical Electives Program
  Offers a full complement of elective rotations for third- and fourth-year dental and medical students. Designed to provide first-hand experience in the design, conduct and management of clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland. It is recommended that all application materials be received by May 1 preceding the academic year of the desired session. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited dental or medical school. Both U.S. citizens and non-citizens are eligible to apply.
   
• Graduate Partnerships Program
  Allows students to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland while they are pursuing a PhD in the biomedical sciences. Prospective PhD students must apply to university programs that have a formal partnership with NIH. Candidates must submit both the university application and the online Graduate Partnerships Program application. They also must meet the admission deadline established by each program and have U.S. citizenship or permanent residence. A stipend is provided.
   
• Graduate Summer Opportunity to Advance Research (GSOAR) - A SIP program designed around the unique experiences of graduate students in the biomedical sciences. This program is a partnership between the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity and the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education. 
   
• Medical Research Scholars Program
  A comprehensive, 12-month research enrichment program for research-oriented medical, dental, and veterinary students.  Student scholars engage in a mentored basic, clinical, or translational research project on the NIH campus that matches their professional interests and career goals.  Each scholar has an assigned tutor (year-long advisor) and works with an approved research mentor.  The program is designed for students who have finished their initial clinical rotations (typically third year, but does not exclude students with strong research interests from applying prior to having completed these rotations.  Fourth year students also qualify to apply and participate, but must defer graduation before participation).  Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  A stipend is provided.

Graduate (Ph.D.) Students

• NIH Summer Internship Program
  Provides training in research procedures and principles of independent investigation to graduate students.  Students will work with senior research scientists on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland or at other off-campus NIH locations. Summer internships generally last from eight to ten weeks.  A stipend is provided. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
   
• Graduate Partnerships Program
  Allows students to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland while they are pursuing a PhD in the biomedical sciences. Prospective PhD students must apply to university programs that have a formal partnership with NIH. Candidates must submit both the university application and the online Graduate Partnerships Program application. They also must meet the admission deadline established by each program and have U.S. citizenship or permanent residence. A stipend is provided.
   
• Graduate Summer Opportunity to Advance Research (GSOAR) - A SIP program designed around the unique experiences of graduate students in the biomedical sciences. This program is a partnership between the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity and the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education. 

Postdoctoral Scientists

• Sang-A Park Memorial Intramural Postdoctoral Fellowship
  The Park Fellowship is a highly competitive intramural postdoctoral fellowship that includes an expectation that its participants will serve as mentors in research areas within the NIDCR mission. Selected fellows will receive up to five years of postdoctoral funding. The focus of the fellowship is on career development for junior investigators to better equip them to remain in a biomedical research career and continue to serve as mentors in the scientific community. 
• NIDCR Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship to Enhance Diversity in Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
  Postdoctoral students selected for this fully-funded fellowship will spend up to five years working side-by-side with NIDCR’s leading scientists. Fellows will perform research with a mentor in NIDCR’s Division of Intramural Research (DIR), map a research career path, and develop and prepare a grant proposal. NIDCR encourages students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of award.
   
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
  Various positions are available at the NIDCR/NIH in Bethesda, Maryland to train professionals with a PhD and/or a DDS, DMD, MD, or DVM. Applicants must be within five years of their graduation date and have less than five years previous postdoctoral experience to apply. Stipend amounts depend on the level of experience and the type of positions available. Prospective applicants can view current NIH postdoctoral openings and contact individual NIDCR laboratories of interest to identify future research positions. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. US citizens and non-US citizens may apply.
   
• Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowships (VF)
  Postdoctoral positions are available at the NIDCR/NIH in Bethesda, Maryland to train professionals from all non-U.S. countries with a PhD and/or a DDS, DMD, MD, or DVM. Applicants must be within five years of receiving their graduate degree and have less than five years of relevant previous postdoctoral experience to apply. The stipends for postdoctoral Visiting Fellows are adjusted yearly, and benefits include health insurance for the trainee and his/her family. Prospective applicants can view current NIH postdoctoral openings and contact individual NIDCR laboratories of interest to identify future research positions. Citizens of all non-U.S. countries may apply.
   
• NIDCR Clinical Research Fellowship
  This is a two-year or greater full-time program designed to train dentists in the latest clinical and translational research methodologies. Qualified applicants hold a DDS/DMD or equivalent dental clinical degree and a demonstrated interest in dental/oral/craniofacial research as evidenced by prior research experience and/or masters or doctoral level education beyond clinical training. Projects are designed to facilitate translational research in which clinical research projects are conducted that complement basic science laboratory projects. Fellows work with investigators in the Clinical Research Core.  Fellows are provided with a stipend and may be eligible for NIH Loan Repayment Programs. For more information contact Dr. Janice Lee, Clinical Director, at (301) 827-1647.
   
• Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigators Program
  This broad recruitment program of tenure-track investigators (assistant professor equivalent) for the NIH intramural research program offers a variety of basic and translational/clinical positions. Applicants must have an M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S./D.M.D., D.V.M., D.O., R.N./Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree and have an outstanding record of research accomplishments as evidenced by high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals. Applicants should be non-tenured scientists. Appointees may be U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or non-resident aliens with, or eligible to obtain, a valid employment-authorization visa.

Dentists and Physicians

• Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program (Si2)
  Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program supports the research activities during the early stage careers of independent clinical researchers. The program offers the opportunity for a unique bridge between the NIH intramural and extramural research communities and contains two phases. In the first phase, Lasker scholars will receive appointments for up to 5-7 years as tenure-track investigators within the NIH Intramural Research Program with independent research budgets. In the second phase, successful scholars will be eligible to apply for up to 5 years of NIH support for their research at an extramural research facility; or, the scholar can be considered to remain as an investigator within the intramural program. Eligible applicants include physicians and dentists (including MD, MD/PhD, DO, DDS, DMD, RN/PhD, or equivalent clinical doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution) who have a professional license to practice clinically in the U.S. For more information, contact Dr. Matthew Hoffman   at (301) 496-1660 or Dr. Janice Lee at (301) 827-1647.
   
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
  Various positions are available at the NIDCR/NIH in Bethesda, Maryland to train professionals with a PhD and/or a DDS, DMD, MD, or DVM. Applicants must be within five years of their graduation date and have less than five years previous postdoctoral experience to apply. Stipend amounts depend on the level of experience and the type of positions available. Prospective applicants can view current NIH postdoctoral openings and contact individual NIDCR laboratories of interest to identify future research positions. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens may apply.
   
• Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowships (VF)
  Postdoctoral positions are available at the NIDCR/NIH in Bethesda, Maryland to train professionals from all non-U.S. countries with a PhD and/or a DDS, DMD, MD, or DVM. Applicants must be within five years of receiving their graduate degree and have less than five years of relevant previous postdoctoral experience to apply. The stipends for postdoctoral Visiting Fellows are adjusted yearly, and benefits include health insurance for the trainee and his/her family. Prospective applicants can view current NIH postdoctoral openings and contact individual NIDCR laboratories of interest to identify future research positions. Citizens of all non-U.S. countries may apply.
   

• Loan Repayment Programs 

  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and are designed to retain highly qualified investigators, including health professionals, in biomedical or biobehavioral research careers.  The LRPs repay up to $50,000 annually of a researcher's qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research.  
   
  There are eight LRPs, five for researchers not employed by NIH (Extramural) and three for researchers employed by NIH (Intramural).  Extramural and Intramural LRP awardees may apply for subsequent, competitive renewal awards as long as they meet Program eligibility.  Although organized around broad research areas, the LRPs do not fund research projects.  LRP awards are based on an applicant's potential to build and sustain a research career.  
   
  Intramural LRP applicants must (1) have a doctoral degree from an accredited institution; (2) be a government employee (3) have qualifying student loan debt equal to at least 20% of annual salary; (4) be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents.
  Details on eligibility, individual program requirements, award information, application instructions, and deadlines can be found on the NIH LRP (Intramural) website.

Training Fact Sheet

• Download NIDCR's Intramural Research Training and Career Development Program fact sheet (PDF - 1.9MB).

Meet NIDCR's Research Fellows

Read the bios of Postbac and Postdoc training award recipients.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Belinda Hauser
Training Director, Office of Training and Education
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
National Institutes of Health
(301) 451-6492
belinda.hauser@nih.gov