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June 04, 2007
HHMI Forges Partnerships to Increase Support for Postdoctoral Researchers
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced today that it is boosting its support of outstanding young scientists by entering into collaborations with the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund, the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, and the Life Sciences Research Foundation.
Under the terms of the agreements with each organization, HHMI will fund up to 16 postdoctoral associates annually who will conduct research in the laboratories of HHMI investigators. Those fellows who receive HHMI support will be selected competitively by the fellowship organizations. Fellows who will conduct research in HHMI laboratories at the Janelia Farm Research Campus will be funded in addition. When the initiative is at full capacity in three years, HHMI will be supporting 48 postdoctoral fellows at a total annual cost of about $3 million.
“By funding this program, HHMI anticipates that these organizations will be able to offer 16 additional fellowships each year to help advance the careers of promising young scientists.”
Jack E. Dixon
HHMI's funding will permit each of the four institutions to fund more fellowships than they would otherwise. “By funding this program, HHMI anticipates that these organizations will be able to offer 16 additional fellowships each year to help advance the careers of promising young scientists,” said Jack E. Dixon, HHMI vice president and chief scientific officer.
“Each of these organizations supports researchers of the highest quality and all have exceptional scientific review boards,” said Philip S. Perlman, senior scientific officer at HHMI.
The postdoctoral fellowships will have three-year terms and fellows will be employed by HHMI in postdoctoral research associate positions.
More Information about the Institutions HHMI Is Collaborating With:
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The Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research was established in 1937 by the late Miss Alice S. Coffin and Mr. Starling W. Childs as a gift in trust to Yale University for the furtherance of research into the causes, origin, and treatment of cancer.
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The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation was established and endowed by Mrs. Charles S. Payson, the former Joan Whitney, in 1943, and named in honor of her mother, Helen Hay Whitney. Originally established to stimulate and support research in the area of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, the Foundation later expanded its interests to include diseases of connective tissue and, ultimately, all basic biomedical sciences.
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Since its founding in 1946 by journalist Walter Winchell in memory of his fellow journalist and famed short-story writer, Damon Runyon, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has been singularly focused on identifying and supporting extraordinary young scientists committed to uncovering new approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
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Since 1983, the Life Sciences Research Foundation, without benefit of endowment, has administered yearly peer reviews to select the highest quality candidates seeking postdoctoral fellowships in all areas of the life sciences. Sponsors of the fellows are research-oriented companies, foundations, and philanthropists. The Foundation is run pro bono by academic scientists.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute was established in 1953 by the aviator-industrialist. HHMI's principal mission is conducting basic biomedical research, which it carries out in collaboration with more than 70 universities, medical centers and other research institutions throughout the United States. Its approximately 300 investigators, along with a scientific staff of more than 2,000, work at these institutions in Hughes laboratories. The Institute also has a philanthropic grants program that is strengthening science education and training, from elementary school through graduate and medical school. It also supports the work of biomedical researchers in many countries around the globe. HHMI's endowment at the end of the 2006 fiscal year was approximately $16.3 billion. Its headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.
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Jennifer Michalowski
