Friedman Award for Scholars in Health
Deadline
Annual Value
Citizenship
Degree Level
The Friedman Award for Scholars in Health supports learning and research opportunities for graduate students or medical residents working in the broad area of health, to bring new perspectives to their education and further their career.
The Friedman Award for Scholars in Health is named after two of the earliest faculty members in the UBC Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Sydney Friedman and his wife Dr. Constance Livingstone-Friedman believed that well-rounded and transformative education includes learning from different perspectives and cultures, and they wished to support such learning among UBC graduate students and medical residents.
Awards of up to $50,000 each will be granted for six or more months of study. Award amount will be at the discretion of the adjudication committee. Each recipient of a Friedman Award will be designated a “Friedman Scholar”.
Eligibility
The Friedman Award for Scholars in Health is open to any UBC graduate student or UBC medical resident studying in the area of health. ‘Health’ is interpreted very broadly, and includes health promotion and disease prevention, mental health research, laboratory sciences related to medicine or health, public health, health services research, or any area intended to impact human health.
Applicant eligibility:
- As of the application deadline, applicant must be enrolled in a UBC graduate or medical residency program
Opportunity Eligibility:
Friedman Scholars are expected to travel to other areas of the world to seek new perspectives, learn from experts in their fields and be exposed to different cultures.
- Host organizations or groups may include universities or research centres, non-governmental organizations, private sector companies, government agencies or units, or any other groups or individuals who are leaders in the field.
- Travel must be outside of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- Travel must be for a minimum of six months, to carry out scholarly work, gain new knowledge and perspectives in the field of study, and absorb the scholarly culture of the host institution. The six-month time period may be distributed over a longer period (e.g., one year) if circumstances merit it.
- Travel must begin no earlier than June 1 of the application year and no later than April 30 of the following year.
Eligible Budget Expenses:
Funds received from this award are to be used for expenses related to the opportunity. These may include: travel expenses (airfare, visas, health insurance, etc.), living expenses (rent, groceries, etc.), fees assessed for related educational endeavours. Other kinds of research or project-related expenses should include a justification.
The funds may not be used for expenses already incurred or for UBC tuition. None of the funds shall be used to pay down or reduce current or past educational debt, to pay a personal stipend for the learner, or to pay UBC tuition.
Any unused funds must be returned to UBC for future disbursement through the Friedman Scholar Program.
Evaluation Criteria
Student/resident past accomplishments and future promise
Awardees should be individuals with evidence of and future promise for innovative outlooks and scholarship, leadership ability and high likelihood of making a positive difference in the field of health.
The nature and quality of the learning opportunity
This includes the calibre of the mentor or organization with whom the applicant will work, and the quality and likely contribution of the learning experience with respect to the applicant’s career and personal development.
The potential impact of the learning/work opportunity on the field of health
This may include potential direct impact, or potential impact on the field through significant scholarly growth of the individual awardee.
Application Procedures
A complete application comprises the following:
- Application form
- Declaration form
- Concise outline of the educational opportunity (4 pages maximum)
- Description of key personnel, host organization, and their mission and contributions to the broad area of health
- Timeline of the opportunity - Include start/end dates and key milestones
- Details of the opportunity - Describe the learning environment, learning objectives, specific activities, and expected outcomes
- Potential impact of the opportunity on the field of health and on your career and/or personal development
- References/bibliography/citation (1 page maximum, in addition to the 4-page limit)
- If applicable, list publications and other works/sources that are cited in your outline
- Simple budget (1 page maximum) (see Excel template)
- Synopsis of your education to date (1 page maximum)
- You may, but are not required to, format this section to resemble a short CV
- Letter of support from UBC supervisor (2 pages maximum)
- For graduate students, your UBC research supervisor
- For medical residents, your UBC program director
- Letter of support from host supervisor (2 pages maximum)
Presentation standards:
- Pages must be 8½” x 11” (216mm x 279mm); margins must be set at a minimum of ¾” (1.87 cm)
- Use a font that will be easily readable by adjudicators, e.g., 12-point Times New Roman, or equivalent
- No condensed type or spacing (single- or double-spaced are acceptable)
- Please include section titles, as appropriate, and page numbers.
- Write in plain, non-technical language. Your outline should be readable by someone with a background in the discipline but with no specialized knowledge of the particular field of research.
Submission procedures:
Applicants: Please complete the online application form (available at: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8dJofDj9VC2rZid) and use it to submit your signed declaration form (i.e., item #2 above as a scanned PDF) and (2) your outline (i.e., items #3, 4, 5, and 6 combined as a single PDF). Preview the application form here.
Supervisors: Please complete the online letter submission form (available at: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0P8r111FHCvEuZT) and use it to submit your letter (i.e., either item #7 or #8 as a single PDF). Preview the letter submission form here.
Adjudication Procedures
The Assistant Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, Faculty of Medicine will convene an adjudication committee composed of UBC faculty members in health and health-related disciplines across the university and representatives from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Previous Award Winners
Profiles of past and current Friedman Scholars are available at: http://grad-postdoc.med.ubc.ca/friedman-award/.
Further Information
Should you have further questions, please contact natalie.thorson@ubc.ca.