Jeffrey Richardson Fellowship

The Committee seeks proposals from MD, PhD, or Master’s graduates from Harvard Medical School who wish to continue their studies either in the U.S. or abroad or both and can demonstrate a commitment to research or service in resource-poor settings. A single award of $50,000 in total costs will be made and may be used to support travel, living costs, and/or educational expenses for a period of up to one year. Applications for a second year of funding will be considered. Priority will be given to recent graduates to continue their ongoing research activities and projects.

Applicants should submit the following as one PDF document in the order listed below:

• Letter of interest (not to exceed two pages) describing your personal commitment to research or service in resource-poor settings, and how this opportunity will impact your career, and why support from the Jeffrey Richardson Fellowship is necessary for the proposed work.
• Statement of purpose for their research or proposed course of study. (not to exceed three pages). The statement of purpose should include a title for the project, the aims for the project, its global impact, the methodology that you will implement to carry out your project, and an explanation of how you will assess your progress and the success of the project. Applicants should demonstrate that the proposed project is feasible within the one-year fellowship period. If human subjects approval (e.g., IRB or equivalent) is required, applicants should describe the anticipated timeline for approval. Please describe any potential barriers to project completion and how these will be addressed.
• CV in the HMS format.
• Budget.
• Three letters of support provided by the host institution or agency. The supporting host institution/agency is expected to supervise all aspects of the project, including research oversight, research implementation, and research compliance. For projects in which the host institution or agency lacks significant experience in supervising research and/or the capacity to oversee certain aspects of the project, such as protocol development and approval of human subject testing, applicants should identify a Harvard faculty member as a mentor in addition to the project supervisor. Letters should address the applicant’s qualifications, independence, and ability to complete the proposed work within the fellowship period.

1. A letter from the research mentor/project supervisor from the host institution or agency.
2. A letter from the department chair or other appropriate official from the host institution or agency.
3. A letter from an appropriate official from the host institution or agency to provide written acknowledgment of the host institution/agency’s willingness to support the awardee.

If the writer of the letter for (2) and (3) is the same person, then only one letter from the appropriate official is required.

The awardee will be known as the Jeffrey Richardson Fellow and will meet with the HMS Committee on Global Projects and Sites during the fellowship to provide the committee with an update on the status of their project. All research that results in publication shall credit the Jeffrey Richardson Fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

Applicants must submit proposals online at forms.hms.harvard.edu/f/26jeffreyrichardsonfellowship. The deadline for submission of proposals and support letters is May 19, 2026. Funding for the Jeffrey Richardson Fellowship will begin on July 1, 2026. For questions, please contact Ed Canton at globalfellowships@hms.harvard.edu.