The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation is partnering with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to offer four research fellowships to medical students to enhance the number of young investigators in the field of neuro-oncology research. The partnership with HHMI will allow the Ivy Foundation to support the development of young physician-scientists in the relevant neurosciences.

“One of the goals of the Ivy Foundation is to increase the number of young physician-scientists in the field of neuro-oncology” states Rob Tufel, Executive Director of the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation. “By partnering with such a well-respected organization like HHMI, we can attract top-notch students and introduce them early on in their career to the important and exciting research being conducted in neuro-oncology.”

In 2009, the Ivy Foundation will begin funding up to four fellowships per year for medical students engaged in the program currently known as the HHMI Research Fellowships for Medical Students at U.S. academic medical centers and biomedical research institutions. These fellowships will support students proposing research in the neurosciences, particularly in areas related to neuro-oncology. The recipients of the Fellowships will be known as “HHMI-Ivy Foundation Research Training Fellows”. Fellowships will begin in the summer of 2009.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to join together with the Ivy Foundation to enhance the opportunities for potential physician-scientists,” said William Galey, HHMI’s director for graduate and medical education programs. “HHMI’s long track record of encouraging medical students to perform research fits well with Ivy’s focus on educating future neuro-oncologists.”

The application process for the 2009 Fellowships is now closed. Please visit the Ivy Foundation website or the HHMI website in Fall 2009 for information about 2010 fellowships.