GSBS Awards and Funding Opportunities

• Scholarships and Fellowships
• Training Grants
• Travel Awards
• External Funding Opportunities
• Loans

Scholarships and Fellowships
Application deadlines for these awards will be announced.

Andrew Sowell-Wade Huggins Scholarships

• A $5,000 Scholarship supplementing the standard GRA assistantship awarded to a GSBS student.
• Applicants must have recently advanced to Ph.D. candidacy and must be conducting cancer related research as part of the applicant's degree program.One recipient of this Scholarship is designated the Sylvan Rodriguez/Cancer Answers Award Scholar. This honor is bestowed upon the student who, besides scientifically qualifying for the Scholarship, also best exemplifies the qualities of the late Sylvan Rodriguez, a beloved Houston journalist, well known for his community spirit.
• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipients:
  • Lenka Hurton
  • Aman Mann
  • Sumaiyah Rehman
  • Erika Spaeth
  • Brian Taylor
  • Rui Zhang
• Sylvan Rodriguez/Cancer Answers Award Scholar
  • Liem Phan

Andrew Sowell-Wade Huggins Professorship and Graduate Fellowship in Cancer Research

• A novel recognition that is awarded to both a GSBS student and his/her supervisory professor
• The Sowell-Huggins Graduate Fellow receives a full stipend (plus fringe benefits), which may be renewed for up to three years. This Fellow is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship
• Award is based on the academic performance of the student, the quality of his/her research proposal, and his/her potential for future contributions in the area of cancer research; plus the overall contributions of the student's supervisory professor to the area of cancer research and to graduate education at the GSBS
• Student must be advanced to Ph.D. candidacy
• Faculty advisor must hold a Regular appointment on the GSBS faculty and must have directed at least two GSBS students to their Ph.D. degree
• Recipients of this Fellowship acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
• Joint application must be filed by the student and advisor
• Application instructions
• Current Award Recipients:
  • 2009: Angela Alexander & Cheryl Walker, Ph.D.
  • 2007-2009: Nicole Bohnenstiehl Pinaire & Timothy J. McDonnell, M.D., Ph.D.
  • 2005-2006: Jing Zhang & Gary Gallick, Ph.D.
  • 2002-2004: Yovnne Evrard & Sharon Dent, Ph.D.
  • 2001-2002: Jane Shi & William Plunkett, Ph.D.
    

Aaron Blanchard Research Award In Medical Physics

• This $500 cash award recognizes a Medical Physics graduate (M.S. or Ph.D.) for completion of an outstanding thesis or dissertation, which is judged to make a significant contribution to cancer therapy or diagnosis.
  
• A student may be nominated for the award by any faculty member who has served on the student's Supervisory Committee.
• The Medical Physics Program Steering Committee will administer the call for nominations and the selection process.
  
• For more information, contact Georgeanne Moore (713-563-2548).
  
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Jonas David Fontenot

American Legion Auxiliary Fellowships

• Fellowships (currently in the amount of $5,000 each) are awarded to pre-doctoral GSBS students working on cancer-related projects.
• These fellowships are considered supplements to the standard GRA assistantship. 
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• These Fellowships may be competitively renewed for up to three years.
• Recipients of this fellowship acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Award Recipients :
• 1st Year Recipients:
  • Hillary Gibbons
  • Brian Pickering
  • Sarah Scarboro
• 2rd Year Recipients:
  • Brandi Baird
  • Suzanne Chan
  • Mylinh Duong
  • Denise Kellar
  • Krithi Rao
  • Sumaiyah Rehman
  • Jillian Wise
    

R. W. Butcher Achievement Award

• An award of $2,500 is awarded annually to an advanced GSBS student in any degree program who has achieved both excellence in research and contributions to GSBS and society as a whole. Successful candidates will have demonstrated: a) productivity and promise in biomedical research, b) adherence to the highest standards of scientific conduct and integrity; c) commitment to a career in biomedical research, d) involvement in community and/or outreach activities, e) contributions to the GSBS faculty/student community, f) perseverance in overcoming obstacles in the path to success
• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Angela Alexander
    

Harry S. and Isabel C. Cameron Foundation Fellowship

• This Fellowship will be awarded annually to a GSBS student who has recently advanced to Ph.D. candidacy and whose research is related to either Alzheimer's or cardiovascular disease.
• This is a $20,000 Fellowship for one year; the recipient's advisor will supplement this Fellowship to ensure that the recipient receives a total amount at least equal to the amount of the standard GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
• The recipient of this Fellowship is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
• Recipients of this Fellowship should acknowledge the support of the Cameron Foundation Fellowship on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Rui Zhang 
    

City Federation of Women's Clubs Endowed Scholarship in the Biomedical Sciences

• This $2,000 Scholarship is for an exceptional GSBS student with financial need who is working in an area vital to the biomedical sciences and of particular current significance in that year's national research arena.
• Each year the Dean of the GSBS will define the area of research for this Scholarship
• Applicants must be a GSBS Ph.D. (or M.D./Ph.D. or D.D.S./Ph.D.) student who will soon take or recently passed the candidacy exams and is in good academic standing with GSBS.
• Application coversheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Randala Hamdan
    

Cullen Trust for Higher Education Physician/Scientist Fellowship Program

• This $1.15 million program, established in 2007, gives students full stipend, benefits and tuition support.
• The program funding is for five years during which time five new M.D./Ph.D. Cullen Trust for Higher Education Fellows (with support thereafter during medical school) are selected from each BCM and the UT Health Science Center at Houston/UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
• The Medical School/M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are responsible for the medical training of UT Fellows (and BCM for their medical degree) with any of these institutions available for students to select a mentor for the Ph.D. portion of their degree plan.

Meagan Barry and Stefanie Alexander, BCM; Andrew Peters,UT Health Science Center

Isaiah J. Fidler Graduate Fellowship in Cancer Metastasis

• This Fellowship is provided by the graduate program in Cancer Metastasis Research: From Bench to Bedside
• It provides a $3,000 supplement of the GSBS graduate assistantship and may be renewed for up to 3 years
• It is awarded to a pre-candidacy Ph.D. student whose research is related to cancer metastasis
• Coversheet and application instructions
  
• Current Award Recipient:
  
  • Joseph Caruso

Gigli Family Endowed Scholarship

• This endowed $1,000 scholarship was created by a GSBS faculty member to honor her parents
• The scholarship is intended to help exceptional GSBS graduate students who are making excellence progress towards their degree
• Particularly those who are first generation in their family to enroll in graduate school
• For more information, contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka, 713-500-9868
• Current Award Recipient
  • LaGina Nosavanh
    

Floyd Haar, M.D., Endowed Memorial Research Award in Memory of Freda Haar

• This $1,500 Award is provided to recognize an exceptional GSBS degree student conducting critical research in stem cells.
• Research should be related to stem cells and their use in the treatment of human disease, especially in the areas of leukemia or other cancers.
• Application coversheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient
  • Erika Spaeth
    

Rosalie B. Hite Fellowships

• Fellowships include a stipend, tuition and fees, single travel allowance to a national meeting
• Fellowships are awarded to GSBS students whose research project is in the area of cancer research and who have not advanced to Ph.D. candidacy at the time of application
• Fellowships are eligilble for competitive renewal for up to three years
• Selection of Fellows by the Hite Fellowship Committee is on the basis of academic excellence and applicability of the proposed research program to problems of cancer research
• Deadlines are generally around March of each year
• For more information, contact the Office of Education Programs at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (713-745-1205).
• Award Recipients:
  • 1st year Recipients:
    • Brian Pickering
    • Liem Phan
  • 2nd Year Recipients:
    • Mandy Geryk Hall
    • Qingtang Lin
      

The T. C. Hsu Endowed Memorial Scholarship

• This award of $6,000 recognizes a GSBS graduate student whose graduate studies and research are in the area of genetics or cell biology.
• The Scholarship was established in 2004 in memory of Dr. T. C. Hsu who was a renowned scientist, leader in cytogenetics, and a long time member of the GSBS faculty
• Applicants must be a GSBS student in good academic standing and must be advanced to Ph.D. candidacy
• Application coversheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipients:
  • Liem Phan
    

Barbara L. Kennedy Memorial Scholarship

• This scholarship was established in 2002 for a female student in the Specialized Masters Program in Genetic Counseling.
• Students must be in their second year of the Program.
• Preference is given to a student demonstrating financial need.
• The recipient is selected by a review committee appointed by the WINGS Chapter of the American Business Women's Association.
• Application coversheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Deanna Darnes

Robert W. and Pearl Wallis Knox Charitable Foundation Scholarship

• Established in 2007, this is a $2,500 Scholarship to honor a student whose research is in the area of infectious disease in humans.
• Applicants must be GSBS doctoral students in good academic standing, and no more than a year from taking their candidacy exam.
• For more information, contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka, 713-500-9868
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Christopher Singh

Marilyn and Frederick R. Lummis, Jr., M.D., Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences

• This $25,000 Award is for a post-candidacy Ph.D. GSBS student in good academic standing with at least one year remaining to complete the dissertation.
• Intended to support novel research with a high impact potential in the discipline of study and ultimately human health.
• The primary selection criteria are scientific excellence and innovation in any area of biomedical research.
• Applicants must be nominated by their program or the Office of Academic Affairs, if not a member of a GSBS Program.
• For more information, contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka, 713-500-9868
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Randala Hamdan
    

Ralph H. & Ruth J. McCullough Foundation Fellowship

• Awarded to an outstanding GSBS doctoral graduate student whose novel research possesses a high potential to impact biomedical sciences in the area of infectious diseases.
• A $5,000 gift from the McCullough Foundation to supplement student's graduate assistantship
• Nominations are solicited from Program Coordinators and the Office of Academic Affairs (non-program students) at the beginning of the academic year.
• Current Award Recipients:
  • Jennifer Kerr
    

Michael Farley Moyers Heavy Particle Therapy Graduate Student Travel Endowed Award

• This is a $500 Award to be applied towards travel to AAPM for a GSBS student in the Program in Medical Physics
• Student must submit a presentation to the Young Investigator's Symposium at the AAPM meeting
• Presentation should concern the treatment of patients with a particle heavier than an electron
• For more information, contact Georgeanne Moore (713-563-2548)
  

Dee S. and Patricia Osborne Endowed Scholarship In The Neurosciences

• Provides $1,000 to the winning presenter in the graduate student category at the Neuroscience Poster Session, as well as a $500 travel allotment.
• This award is formally presented during Brain Awareness Week in March.
• For more information, contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka, 713-500-9868
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Matthew Swulius

Presidents' Scholarships
The Presidents of the University of Texas-Houston and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have provided funding for two kinds of awards for GSBS students.

Presidents' Merit Scholarship -- Awards of $3,000 are made to outstanding applicants as a supplement to the standard GSBS Assistantship of $23,000. The scholarship will be continued for four years, provided the recipient's academic performance is satisfactory. Nominations for the award are made by the GSBS Admissions Committee and are based on the applicants' academic and research achievements and scholarly potential. The Dean of the Graduate School awards the scholarship in the offer of admission to the applicant.

Presidents' Research Scholarship -- Presidents' Research Scholarship -- One-year scholarships in the amount of $5,000 are awarded to outstanding students who have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy and who have achieved distinction in research while a GSBS student. Past-presidents of the GSBS faculty review applications and make recommendations to the Dean.

• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipients:
  • Daniel Babcock
    
  • Svitlana Kurinna
    
  • Gustavo Martinez
    
  • Daneen Schaeffer
  • Yang Zhou
    

Schissler Foundation Fellowships in the Genetics of Human Disease

• Fellowships provide full stipend and fringe benefits for one year to GSBS students whose proposed research is in the broad field of the genetics of human disease.
• Applicants must be recently advanced, or within 1 semester be advanced, to Ph.D. candidacy
• The recipient of this Fellowship is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
• Recipients of this fellowship are asked to acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Brett Chiquet
    
  • Bon Quy Trinh
    
  • Jacob Verghese
    

Schissler Foundation M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Fellowship

• This full Fellowship with benefits is awarded to a GSBS Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. student whose research is being conducted at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
• Students must have recently (within the last academic year) advanced to Ph.D. candidacy or be advanced to candidacy within one semester.
• Students must be conducting research that is directed towards a cure for some type of cancer.
• The recipient of this Fellowship is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
• Recipients of this fellowship are asked to acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Moiz U. Ahmad
    

William A. and Madeline Welder Smith Foundation Fellowship

• The Smiths have provided this Fellowship to encourage and to reward GSBS doctoral students who conduct research with stem cells
• A $5,000 supplement to the student's graduate research assistantship
• Applicants must be GSBS pre-doctoral students in good academic standing who will be taking their candidacy exam during the academic year that this Fellowship is being offered.
• For more information, contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka, 713-500-9868
• Current Award Recipients:
  • Hussein Abbas
    

Sam Taub and Beatrice Burton Endowed Fellowship in Vision Disease

• This is a $2,000 Scholarship established in 2004 to recognize a GSBS student whose research is in the area of vision and vision disease
• Applicants must be degree seeking students in good academic standing at GSBS
• Applicants must be advanced to Ph.D. candidacy prior to rewarding of the Scholarship
• Application coversheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Leigh Curtis
    

Tzu Chi Scholarship Award for Excellence

• The Tzu Chi Foundation provides this $1,000 Scholarship to recognize and assist outstanding GSBS doctoral students
• Successful applicant will be able to demonstrate both excellence in academic achievement and persistent community involvement
• Students must be in Ph.D. program; in good academic standing in GSBS; and making timely progress towards completion of their degree.
• Application coversheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipients:
  • Angela Alexander

Dr. James T. and Nancy Willerson Scholarships

• These Scholarships were established in honor of former UTHSC Houston President James T. Willerson and his wife Nancy who were long time supporters of the GSBS
• The Director and selected faculty of the Program in Genetic Counseling nominate admitted students based upon academic excellence
• These Scholarships are both $1,000 that will be applied to the tuition and fees of the recipients.  The Scholarships can be extended for a second year provded the recipients continue to demonstrate outstanding performance in academics and progress towards completion of their degree.
• James T. Willerson, M.D., Scholarship Recipient:
  • Regina Nuccio
• Nancy Willerson Scholarship Recipient:
  
  • Emily Gabitzsch
    

Roberta M. And Jean M. Worsham Endowed Scholarship

• This award of $1500 fosters exceptional students working in the fields of the Behavioral or Neurosciences, primarily addiction or obsessive/compulsive behavior
• This award is formally presented during Brain Awareness Week in March.
• For more information, contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka, 713-500-9868
• Application cover sheet and instructions
• Current Award Recipient:
  • Lorena Maili