Application guidelines & required documents

There is a critical need for pediatric clinician scientists prepared to participate and eventually lead emerging programs in clinical and translational research for children’s health care. Therefore, in evaluating applications, Committee members evaluate whether the mentor’s laboratory has substantial extramural funding for outstanding research programs in basic, clinical, or translational investigation.

All interested applicants must obtain endorsement from their sponsoring institution as one of two allowed nominees (effective for this application cycle and beyond, all sponsoring institutions are limited to no more than two applicants). Upon endorsement, the applicant must complete an Eligibility Form and submit it to the PSDP Program Office before applying (applications received from anyone who has not previously submitted an Eligibility Form will not be considered).  Eligibility forms are due on February 16, 2026. For institutions that must conduct an internal selection process due to having more than two interested candidates, Eligibility forms are due on March 2, 2026. Please note each institution is limited to two applicants.

The Program Director and Administrator will review the form. If the applicant is eligible, he/she will be sent an application packet with instructions within two weeks of the eligibility form’s submission. It is advantageous for the applicant to submit their eligibility form as soon as possible so they may have more time to complete their full application before the April 15, 2026 deadline (should they be deemed eligible).

All application documents must be uploaded on the application via Redcap (unless specifically instructed to send directly to PSDP Administrator) and must be received by the PSDP Administrator no later than 11:59 pm on April 15th, 2026 (~14 months before entering the Program):

• The application form, which includes the applicant’s name, the names of the Nominating and Sponsoring Chairs, residency information, and name(s) of proposed research mentor(s) and laboratory site.
• The applicant’s personal statement addresses the rationale for the clinical sub-specialty, choice of research area, and career goals. If applicable, address how the proposed research addresses health equity.
• A detailed research proposal, 6 pages in length (NIH R21 style), prepared in conjunction with the PSDP mentor. MD/PhD applicants must propose a research project in a new area outside of the PhD. Candidates proposing patient-oriented research or translational research that requires patient contact may request up to 20% clinical time in Years 1-3. This request must be incorporated into the initial PSDP application and must have the signed approval of the mentor. The candidate must be explicit as to the populations to be seen, the way in which time is to be spent, and will be expected to justify why the clinical time is essential to the performance of his/her research. Clinical activities (numbers of days rounding, call nights, clinics) will be tracked while on the PSDP fellowship in order to ensure that it stays below the 20% allotment. PSDP Fellows may request clinical time in years 1-3 after having begun their PSDP training by submitting their request, which will be reviewed by the Steering Committee.

Note: Applicants who propose additional training or coursework as part of their research plan must clearly identify the training or courses and incorporate their necessity into the application. If the applicant has a specific institution in mind for this training/coursework apart from the sponsoring institution identified on the application, a clear justification must be included.

• Letter from Nominating Chair. A candidate must be nominated by the Chair of the pediatric department in which the candidate completes his/her pediatric residency. The nominating department bears the responsibility of sponsorship or identification of another sponsoring department for support of clinical fellowship training and must commit to assist the candidate in finding a junior faculty position at the conclusion of PSDP training. The letter will acknowledge the department’s commitment to help the candidate identify a junior faculty position providing two years of support with at least 80% time for research.
• Letter from Sponsoring Chair. The Chair of the sponsoring department (which may or may not be the same as the nominating department) must commit to funding the clinical component of fellowship training and to helping the candidate identify a junior faculty position that provides two years of support with 80% time free for research. The Sponsoring Chair must further verify that the candidate will have no more than 20% clinical duties during their three years of PSDP research training, and affirm the candidate will have at least 80% protected research time during their third year of PSDP training in their program. Exceptions to this plan must be approved by the Steering Committee.
• Letter of support and acceptance from proposed research mentor. The mentor should hold the rank of Associate Professor or higher and have an academic appointment in a department relevant to the proposed project. The letter should include a description of laboratory, scope of research, educational curriculum for trainee (mentoring plan), and other personnel to be involved in the training process. The letter should further cite agreement with the policy of no clinical duties during first two years of fellowship. Approval must be acknowledged by the mentor if the candidate is proposing patient-oriented research or translational research that requires patient contact.
• Mentor’s NIH grant application Biographic Sketch (five pages).
• Mentor’s NIH Other Support
• Applicant’s NIH Biographic Sketch listing publications, honors, and awards (five-pages).
• Letters of Reference. One additional letter of recommendation is required from a former faculty mentor or contact, not including letters from the nominating chair, sponsoring chair, and research mentor.

Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application and all supporting documentation have been received by the deadline.