Technical Intramural Research Training Award (Technical IRTA)

The NIH Technical IRTA Program (CRTA, Cancer Research Training Award in the National Cancer
Institute) is designed to produce a cadre of highly trained research support personnel. College
graduates and individuals who hold a master's degree spend two years (possibly three) mastering the
latest and most advanced techniques for basic and/or applied research working in an environment
devoted exclusively to biomedical research.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have graduated from an accredited college or university in the
U.S. with a bachelor's or master's degree are eligible to apply to the Technical IRTA program.

Prospective candidates must apply online.Interested individuals are encouraged to apply three to six
months before they wish to begin their training at the NIH. The program has no fixed start date.
The application requires submission of

       • a curriculum vitae or resume,
       • a list of coursework and grades,
       • a cover letter describing the applicant's research interests and career goals,
       • and the names and contact information for three references.

Candidates may specify the Institute or Center, scientific methodologies or disease/organ systems that interest them.

For more information please see: Technical Intramural research training award (Technical IRTA)

Pfizer Fellowships in Health Disparities

Deadline: February 10, 2012

Institutions interested in this fellowship program must focus their research on the cause for these
inequalities and develop solutions to address disparities. Research proposals should be focused on
smoking-cessation programs, women's health/gender medicine, and preventive healthcare to address
disparities among populations of different races, ethnicities, or age groups, or between low-income
versus high-income populations.

Fellows
Prospective fellows at the institution CANNOT apply directly for the award. A Fellow may assist the
senior staff, division head or department chair at the institution in the development of the grant application.

A fellow supported by a Pfizer MAP fellowship must have the opportunity to carry out supervised
biomedical or clinical research with the primary objective of preparing them for their respective
discipline and subspecialty.
Upon receipt of the grant award, the Fellow selected by the Institution must meet the following criteria:

       • US citizen or foreign national with permanent US residence
       • Hold an advanced degree (i.e., MD, DO, NP, PharmD, etc.)
       • Be enrolled in fellowship program (Clinical award recipients)
       • Hold a non-tenured, junior faculty appointment (Research award recipients)

For more information please see: Pfizer Fellowship In Health Disparities

HSHPS Training Programs

Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS), a member-based nonprofit, collaborates with different Federal agencies and HSHPS member institutions across the country and in Latin America to provide three month and six month training programs for current or recent health professions graduate students who are committed to improving the health of Hispanics. The goal of the program is to increase trainees' overall knowledge of public health, to provide the necessary clinical and research skills needed to enhance trainees' careers in the health field, and to increase the overall understanding of Hispanic health issues.

Prior to starting the program, trainees are matched with an experienced scientist, researcher, or professional at each government agency or institution depending on the trainee's area of interest, experience, and the availability of projects. This person will act as the trainee's mentor throughout the duration of the program. At the same time, the trainee will assist their mentor with a project while attending seminars and networking events.


Government Programs

Through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Office of Minority Health (OMH), HSHPS administers training programs with different operating and staffing divisions within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Currently, HSHPS has government programs with the CDC (Atlanta, GA); the Department of Veterans Affairs (San Juan, PR; Los Angeles, CA, and Tampa, FL); the National Center for Health Statistics (Hyattsville, MD); the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Atlanta, GA; Cincinnati, OH); and the Health Resource and Service Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Office of Minority Health all based in Rockville, MD.

Examples of past projects include: disease education through visual media, analysis of MRT-related qualitative data to develop analytical plans and progress reports, disease education for migrant workers, and community initiatives designed to improve conditions for home health caregivers.


Disease Specific Programs

HSHPS collaborates with various member schools across the country to provide intensive training programs that address the significant health implications of specific diseases prevalent within the Hispanic community.

HSHPS' Cancer Prevention and Control Program (San Juan, PR) is based at the University of Puerto Rico, Graduate School of Public Health, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, and provides trainees with an increased understanding of cancer prevention and control through practical hands-on experience in cancer research, community outreach, preventive clinical practice, seminars and workshops. The HIV/AIDS Along the US-Mexico Border Program (San Diego, CA), based at the University of California San Diego, trains the next generation of public health and biomedical researchers with expertise in substance abuse and its infectious disease consequences, especially HIV, viral hepatitis, TB, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the US-Mexico border region. The Improving Self-Management of Diabetes in Chicagoland Program (Chicago, IL) is based at University of Illinois, Chicago College of Medicine and introduces students to clinical and translational research relevant to health issues within the Latino communities in the US.


US-Mexico Border Health Programs

In collaboration with member schools, HSHPS offers three programs that will help the next generation of researchers, scientists, and doctors better understand the Hispanic health issues and their effects occurring along the US-Mexico border.

The FRONTERA: Focusing Research on the Border Area Training Program (Tucson, AZ) based at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine/Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence, provides an increased understanding of public health along the US-Mexico border through practical hands-on training, role model mentoring, and collaboration.

The FRONTline Experience & Research in the Border Training Program (Tucson, AZ), based at the University of Arizona, Zuckerman College of Public Health, introduces students to research focused on alleviating health disparities along the Arizona-Sonora border. Activities focus on chronic disease prevention through community advocacy and the dissemination of effective interventions targeting obesity and diabetes prevention.

The US-Mexico Border Environmental Health Training Program (Laredo and Harlingen, TX), based at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio's extended campuses in Laredo and 
Harlingen, TX, gives students opportunities to participate in workshops about obesity, tuberculosis, diabetes, and zoonotic diseases. In addition, trainees will visit clinics, health departments and hospitals on both sides of the border, and spend time with families in colonias.


International Program

The Tropical Disease and Global Health Training Program (Quito, Ecuador), based at the University of South Florida's School of Public Health and the Bio-Medicine Center in Quito, Ecuador, trains students in the areas of tropical and infectious diseases, nutrition, high altitude problems, travel medicine, and global health. The trainee will investigate the maladies that affect three completely different ecological areas in the context of three different cultures within the Hispanic community in Ecuador. In addition, they will be able to observe the provision of health services in the rural clinics as well as urban hospitals.


Office Programs

HSHPS welcomes high school, undergraduate, graduate, and recent graduate health degree students to intern in its Arlington, VA, office. Applicants must be able to commit at least five hours in assisting HSHPS staff with research, reports, designing marketing materials, translating documents from English to Spanish, and performing outreach work in Hispanic communities.

HSHPS staff will work with the interns to ensure that their interests and experiences match the staff's needs. Interns can work in the office or remotely. At this time, HSHPS does not have funds to reimburse or pay interns for working in the office.


Eligibility

• Applicants do not have to be Hispanic
• Spanish fluency varies depending on program
• Must be a current or recent graduate (less than three years) of a master's or doctoral program in the health field; some programs permit third or fourth year undergraduate students
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Must speak and write fluently in English
• Individuals with five or more years of professional experience in the health field are not eligible to apply

For more information about HSHPS programs, including how to apply, please contact Michelle Quinteros at mquinteros@hshps.org.

You can find HSHPS on the web at www.hshps.org.


What Students Say

"A summer of change - this is how I would describe my […] experience…Filled with expectations that were met and many times surpassed. I am proud to say that I am leaving this position employed with a complete proposal for my research project and a new outlook on life."
        Luisa Soaterna
        OMH Trainee

"I believe the most valuable learning and observation took place in the distinct communities and clinical settings throughout Ecuador. The opportunity to gain hands-on scientific skills, assist physicians caring for patients, and consider unique ways to be an advocate for patients was invaluable."
        Claire Petersen
        Tropical Medicine and Global Health Trainee

"HSHPS' program has allowed me to put actual faces and families with issues that I only had theoretical knowledge of previously. I am even more passionate about making positive changes for women's health and rights and I have a much clearer idea of how my skills and my knowledge can fit into this equation."
        Katie Stilwell
        Tropical Medicine and Global Health Trainee

"[T]his internship experience has indeed fueled my desire to focus my public health career to diabetes prevention and management."
        Maria Rangel
        Improving Self-Management of Diabetes in the Chicagoland Trainee

"As a result of this experience my desire to work within the area of health disparities has been increased [...] I envision myself becoming an advocate for social issues that affect communities."
        Charissa Dowdye
        NIOSH Trainee