Updated 8/25/2025
You can always work with faculty without pay, but why not win a fellowship? Most fellowship applications are due January-March for summer support. You are encouraged to develop the proposal to apply to multiple funding sources (such as external professional associations as well as internal GW fellowships such as the WT Gill or Health Services fellowship). This increases the likelihood you will receive a competitive fellowship, since no single source is guaranteed.
Consider these fellowship opportunities for medical students:
- External ASCO Medical Student Rotation for URMs
- External national summer fellowships
- External national year-out fellowships
- External diversity-targeted national fellowships
- External Diversity Supplement to the mentor’s NIH grant
- Opportunity Database: External medical student opportunities at other institutions (password protected)
- GW W.T. Gill Fellowships
- Jean L. Fourcroy M.D. Research Award Scholarship
- GW Health Services Scholarship Program
Prepare a summer fellowship application
Communicate your interest in applying for funding with your research mentor. In addition to the opportunities listed, the mentor may know of additional opportunities in the field. Most fellowship applications are due January-March for summer support, so you should start early!
Contact Dr. Alison Hall, Dean of Research Workforce Development (akhall [at] gwu [dot] edu (akhall[at]gwu[dot]edu))
+Identify administrative support. Any fellowship must run through the business office—contact these folks as soon as you are thinking about a specific fellowship:
- If your research will be done with a GW faculty member, set up a meeting with the Research Administrator, Julia Bellafiore (jbellafiore [at] gwu [dot] edu (jbellafiore[at]gwu[dot]edu)).
If your research will be done at Children’s National, contact the CNHS research administrator associated with that Division:
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Hilah Zia, Business Manager for Neuroscience Research, hzia [at] childrensnational [dot] org (hzia[at]childrensnational[dot]org)
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Veronica Harris, Business Manager for Genetic Medicine Research, vharris [at] childrensnational [dot] org (vharris[at]childrensnational[dot]org)
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Steph Caldwell, Business Manager for Cancer and Immunology Research, scaldwell [at] childrensnational [dot] org (scaldwell[at]childrensnational[dot]org)
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Stephanie Bair, Business Manger for Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, sbair [at] childrensnational [dot] org (sbair[at]childrensnational[dot]org)
+Confirm required registrations, including IRB. You may list an IRB pending application (with date submitted) in your application, but summer fellowships will not be released without an IRB that is approved by June 1. This is a common reason that applications fail! Faculty research mentors are responsible for that application, routed through GW Human Subjects or CNHS. Check with your research advisor about this to confirm.
Fellowship Application timeline
Submit a GW Intent to Submit a Proposal form as soon as you are considering an external fellowship. While many external medical student fellowship proposals require that you submit the proposal to their agency website; you must also submit the proposal information to GW. We suggest you turn this in at least four weeks before a proposal is due: it's never too early!
Seven working days before proposal is due: Submit complete package fully assembled (including all budgets, forms, application materials, and signatures) to the Pre-Award administrator Julia Bellafiore (jbellafiore [at] gwu [dot] edu (jbellafiore[at]gwu[dot]edu)) for final review. GW Pre-award will continue sign offs with financial directors and the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR).
The Research Administrator will email you when you can submit the final proposal to the agency website.