The availability of all awards is contingent upon receipt of adequate funding.

Request for Applications

Summer Fellowships up to $3,500 for Work with a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Mentor

Plus

Five Days at the AACAP Annual Meeting
October 26 - October 31, 2010 in New York, NY

Sponsored by:

Campaign for America's Kids

Application Deadline March 1, 2010

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) announces the Clinical and Research Fellowships for Medical Students

Description:

Overview
The AACAP Summer Medical Student Fellowships offer a chance for medical students to explore a career in child and adolescent psychiatry, gain valuable work experience, and meet leaders in the child and adolescent psychiatry field. The fellowship opportunity provides up to $3,500 for 12 weeks of clinical or research training under a child and adolescent psychiatrist mentor. Participants are required to attend the 2010 AACAP Annual Meeting in New York, NY, October 26 through October 31, 2010. (Complimentary registration and travel reimbursement for the Annual Meeting are included in addition to the fellowship stipend.)

Time Commitment
The expectation is that students will complete 12 consecutive weeks (60 workdays at 8 hours per day) of the fellowship during the summer following acceptance into the program. If an applicant is unable to complete 12 weeks, he or she may propose a slightly shorter fellowship experience in the application. If approved, the stipend will be pro-rated to reflect the reduction in time spent completing the fellowship. Fellowships proposed as less than eight weeks will NOT be considered. Applicants should note that the amount of time they propose to spend in their fellowship will be taken into account by the selection committee.

Selection of Mentor
Before applying, a student should have an established link with a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is committed to work with the student throughout the summer. The student can then submit an application with a detailed outline of the proposed clinical or research training and a description of the student's involvement in the project.

The student's mentor must be a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).

Training Experience
The training experience must provide for significant contact between the student and the mentor. The training experience should include program planning discussions, instruction in treatment/research planning and implementation, regular meetings with the mentor, and assigned readings.

• If the fellowship takes place in a clinical setting, clinical assignments may include responsibility for part of the observation or evaluation, conducting interviews or tests, use of rating scales, and psychological or cognitive testing of patients. The fellowship also should include discussion of ethical issues in treatment.


• If the fellowship takes place in a research setting, research assignments may include responsibility for part of the observation or evaluation, developing specific aspects of the research mechanisms, conducting interviews or tests, use of rating scales, and psychological or cognitive testing of subjects. The fellowship also should include discussion of ethical issues in research including protocol development, informed consent, collection and storage of raw data, safeguarding data, bias in analyzing data, plagiarism, protection of patients, ethical treatment of animals, etc.

Upon completion of the training experience, the mentor should hold a closing interview with the student to discuss their work as well as future career plans. The student is required to submit a final paper summarizing the clinical/research training experience, a copy of the research poster presented at the Annual Meeting (if applicable), and a program evaluation. The mentor should assist in the preparation of the final paper and research poster as well as provide guidance on the format and content of papers and poster presentations.

AACAP Annual Meeting Participation
All fellowship participants must attend the 2010 AACAP Annual Meeting. Participants will receive complimentary general meeting registration, tickets to one workshop and one institute, and travel reimbursement. Participants are required to attend various educational, mentoring and networking sessions. Participants are also required to submit a Call for Papers submission for presenting their clinical/research experiences in a new research poster session (Poster presentations are contingent upon the acceptance of the call for papers submission after peer review). Additionally, fellowship participants will be recognized at a Young Leaders Awards Ceremony.

Stipend Distribution
Fellowship stipends will be distributed in two installments. Upon receipt of the fellowship, $2,500 will be sent to the student's mentor to be disbursed at the onset of the summer fellowship. Upon meeting all program requirements, the last installment will be sent directly to the recipient and will be pro-rated according to the total amount of time spent completing the fellowship. Fellowships lasting the full 12 weeks will receive the maximum amount.

Fellowship Requirements

• Applicants must be students enrolled in accredited U.S. medical schools.


• Participants agree that their fellowships will last 12 consecutive weeks. (All fellowships less than 12 weeks must receive approval by AACAP. Fellowships less than eight weeks will NOT be considered). The expectation is that the student will work 8 hours per day for the duration of the fellowship.


• Participants agree to submit a Call for Papers submission for presenting their clinical/research experience in a new research poster session by June 15, 2010.


• Participants agree to attend the 2010 AACAP Annual Meeting, October 26-October 31, 2010, in New York, NY.


• Participants agree to provide a poster presentation, if accepted, at the 2010 AACAP Annual Meeting, October 26 - October 31, 2010, in New York, NY.


• Participants agree to submit all required reporting documentation directly after the AACAP Annual Meeting, including a final report, a copy of the new research poster (if applicable), a copy of a thank you letter written to the Campaign for America's Kids, and an evaluation of the program completed by the participant and the mentor.


• Participants agree to participate in all annual surveys as part of the program's evaluation process.

Application Materials

• Completed Application Form
• CV
• Statement of Interest
• Letter of support from proposed mentor
• Letter of good standing from medical school

AACAP reserves the right to waive liabilities.

Click here to download the application.

For more information contact the Department of Research, Training and Education at 202.966.7300, ext. 117, or apartner@aacap.org.