Each July, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute welcomes dozens of graduate students and their advisers into a close-knit community of scientists committed to advancing equity and inclusion. Known as “Gilliam Day,” this annual celebration follows HHMI’s announcement of the newest cohort supported by the Gilliam Fellows Program.

Today, in keeping with this tradition, HHMI congratulates 50 graduate students and their advisers who have been named Gilliam Fellows in recognition of outstanding research in their respective scientific fields and their commitment to building a more inclusive scientific ecosystem. Each student-adviser pair will receive an annual award totaling $53,000 for up to three years.

The Gilliam Fellows Program invests in graduate students and their advisers who embody leadership in science and are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in science. “The Gilliam Fellowship not only supports incredibly talented graduate students who are poised to become future leaders in science,” says Joshua Hall, senior program officer for the Gilliam Fellows Program, “but it also engages thesis advisers and institutions in the work of creating training environments in which all students can thrive.”

The Gilliam community now totals 451 outstanding scientists, tracing back to the program’s launch in 2004. This year’s cohort hails from 37 institutions across the country, including eight institutions receiving their first-ever Gilliam Fellowship award. At these first-time awardee institutions, Gilliam Fellows are working to address key questions in science and human health, including how health disparities impact cancer outcomes and how air pollutants affect the health of high school-aged children.

HHMI’s Gilliam Fellows Program recognizes that advisers play an integral role in helping their students realize their high potential. For this reason, Gilliam advisers participate in a year-long mentorship development course led by Facilitator-Scholars from HHMI’s Scientific Mentorship Initiative. This learning experience includes monthly online interactive webinars and two in-person workshops at HHMI headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland – all of which are designed to teach advisers how to listen and engage across cultures.

“By offering professional development to mentors and supporting the growing Gilliam community, HHMI is working to create lasting change across campuses and throughout the wider scientific community,” says Blanton Tolbert, vice president of HHMI’s Center for the Advancement of Science Leadership and Culture (CASLC), which was established last year. 

CASLC houses the Gilliam Fellows Program as well as other HHMI undergraduate- and graduate-level programs designed to bring together academic faculty, administrators, and students working to transform the experience of science education.

“Gilliam Fellows join a diverse and supportive community of scientific leaders who are working to forge new pathways to empower others to achieve personal success,” Tolbert says. “In this way, the program reflects what should be the norm across all of science: today’s students should expect to see leaders from all different backgrounds and experiences, reflecting true equity and inclusion in science.”

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HHMI created the Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study, now called the Gilliam Fellows Program, in 2004 in honor of the late James H. Gilliam, Jr. A charter Trustee of HHMI, Gilliam was a respected business and civic leader who spent his life nurturing excellence and diversity in science and education. 

2023 Gilliam Fellows and Advisers