Society for Medical Decision Making

The SMDM Fellowship in Medical Decision Making is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through Grant GBMF7853 to SMDM.

The application deadline was Monday, December 17, 2018, 11:59 PM PT.

About the Fellowship

The overarching goal of the SMDM Fellowship in Medical Decision Making is to build and support a cohort of future leaders with the skills to effectively apply decision science to research and practice.

The Fellowship provides support for early career researchers who have shown an interest in the decision sciences and aids in developing their potential to influence clinical practice and health policy. The Fellowship provides extensive exposure to the field of decision sciences, introductions to and mentorship by leaders in the field, and develops and propels a leadership cohort that will be positioned to play a leadership role in the future of the field of medical decision making.

The program targets clinical research fellows, doctoral candidates and post-doctoral fellows with a proven commitment to decision sciences and an interest in being involved in SMDM. The program provides support to those for whom lack of financial resources presents barriers to ongoing engagement in SMDM.

The term of the Fellowship will be three years with an annual review to ensure all parties are meeting the goals of the program.

The SMDM Fellowship leverages SMDM’s strengths of 1) convening experts who are at the forefront of innovation in medical decision science and 2) building capacity to thrive in the field of medical decision making.

Eligibility

Applicants with an interest in decision oriented research will be considered in two categories:

1. Clinicians who have completed a residency training program and who are embarking on or currently pursuing a clinical research fellowship whose research is primarily supervised or mentored by an SMDM member at their home institution and who plan to pursue a research career.

2. Doctoral candidates or post-doctoral fellows who are embarking on or currently pursuing research under the primary supervision of an SMDM supervisor/mentor at their home institution. 

The funding is intended to bridge across the training stage. For example, fellowship awardees in the final year of doctoral training, can continue as a fellow through post-doctoral training.

Applications are welcome in all areas; however, the following topic areas will be given priority:

• Supporting shared decision-making in diverse populations and developing protocols for patient and family engagement.

• Health information technology to improve patient safety and reduce diagnostic and medical errors.

• Economic evaluation of community-based care for people with serious illnesses.

• Economic evaluation of health care system interventions. 

Applications must be sponsored by the applicant’s supervisor/mentor who is required to be a current SMDM member. In addition, clinicians will be required to obtain letters of support from their Division Director and their Chair specifying that the fellow would have a minimum of 0.1 FTE of protected time for research.

Application

The application deadline is Monday, December 17, 2018 at 11:59 PM PT. Click the button below to view and complete the online application. Your progress will be saved as of the last page that you complete on the application. You may return to complete the rest of the application at any time before the December 17 deadline. To help you in preparing to submit the SMDM Fellowship Application, you may preview the list of questions that will be asked as part of the application.

Preview the Application Questions

Apply for the SMDM Fellowship
 

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed and fellowships awarded by the Fellow Selection Committee. Members of the Fellow Selection Committee are not eligible to sponsor applicants for the award.

Financial and Other Support

1. Financial support in the amount of $10,000 USD per fellow per year of the fellowship, which can be used as needed for salary support and/or research operating funds.

2. Complimentary membership in SMDM throughout the term of the fellowship.

3. Complimentary registration for SMDM meetings (North America and/or Europe), including general session, 2 short courses, and the social event, throughout the term of the fellowship.

4. Up to $2,500 USD per year per fellow to support travel and lodging to attend the above meetings. Funds can be used to cover airfare, lodging, meals and other travel related costs. Reimbursement will be provided upon delivery of receipts.

5. Mentorship in peer-review activities with the sponsoring SMDM member, including meeting abstract review and peer-review of manuscripts.

6. Networking and career opportunities at the SMDM meetings and at other times throughout the fellowship.

7. Membership in the SMDM Fellowship Interest Group.

8. Membership in the SMDM Committee(s) of the fellow’s choosing.

Fellows

SMDM Fellows commit to:

1. Being active members of SMDM, tapping into networking and other resources available through the society,

2. Attending at least one SMDM meeting each year throughout the term of the fellowship,

3. Preparing a report on fellowship activities to be delivered during each SMDM fall board meeting, held during the annual North American meeting,

4. Attending meetings of the Fellowship Interest Group at the North American meetings,

5. Submitting abstracts in response to SMDM Calls for Abstracts,

6. Submitting at least one article on decision sciences for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and

7. Acknowledging the Society for Medical Decision Making and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as funding sources for work developed during the course of the fellowship in publications and presentations.

Sponsors/Mentors

Sponsors/Mentors commit to:

1. Supervision of the fellow’s research project, with the goal of co-authoring one manuscript with the fellow to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal,

2. Providing opportunities for the Fellow to present at the supervisor’s/mentor's institution,

3. Mentorship in submitting and presenting research abstracts to be presented at SMDM meetings,

4. Mentorship in how to conduct peer-review of conference abstracts and a journal article that has been submitted to MDM or MDM Policy & Practice,

5. Training opportunities, guidance and support to enhance the fellow’s knowledge in decision sciences,

6. Under the auspices of the SMDM Education Committee and in conjunction with other sponsors/mentors, provide leadership to and programming for the SMDM Fellowship Interest Group, and

7. For a clinical fellow, while opportunities for clinical practice are not required, this may be part of the supervisory agreement.

Timeline

• December 17, 2018, 11:59 PM PT:  Application deadline

• January – March 2019:  Application review and selection

• April 2019:  Notification and acceptance

• May – September 2019:  Choice of Fellowship start dates

• September 2019:  Official Fellowship programming begins and continues for three years