PhD Trainee Funding and Research Fellowships
4.1 Research Fellowships
The Research Mentor, in collaboration with the Program, will attempt to provide “Research Fellowships” for trainees to help defray living expenses. Research fellowships are awarded for a year and may be extended for additional year/s based on the trainee’s performance and the availability of funds. Research Fellowships are typically funded through the Research Mentor’s grant funding or by the IHP. Additionally, the trainee’s mentor will work with the trainee to identify opportunities for external funding for predoctoral trainees (e.g., through foundations, and the National Institute of Health). Some funding may be available through teaching or clinical work related to the trainee’s prior clinical specialties. The program does not guarantee that it can provide funding and such positions to all trainees accepted into the program.
4.2 PhD RS Tuition
Accepted trainees receive an IHP tuition scholarship for the first 12 semesters of study. Trainees are responsible for per credit fees for all years of the program based on IHP fee rates. Trainees pay a continuing education fee equal to one credit per semester starting at the beginning of the fifth year (after 12 semesters). Additional expenses related to supplemental coursework at outside institutions are not covered by the tuition scholarship and are the trainee’s responsibility.
4.3 Conference Funding
The Program provides funds to support trainees to attend and present their research at conferences. While conference attendance is the main purpose for these funds, other allowable expenses may include research participant recruitment payment, publishing fees, supply purchases, supplemental coursework tuition, and e-learning resource purchases. All trainees are eligible to apply via the Conference Funding Application each fiscal year (October 1 to September 30). The maximal amount each year may vary but is typically $750-$1500. Limited funds are available; preference is given to trainees who will present their research at the conference and those who have not previously received funding. Funds do not carry over to subsequent fiscal years. Reimbursement requests for approved funding must include only allowable conference expenses (see below) and be submitted by September 15th to allow processing time before the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. Upon approval, trainees are responsible for purchasing their allowable, approved expenses, and submitting a request for reimbursement, generally within 30 days after the travel/conference. Allowable reimbursable conference expenses for out-of-town events include: 1) Conference Registration, 2) Airfare or train travel to conference, and 3) Hotel/lodging. Ground transit to/from airports/train, parking, food/beverage costs, and entertainment costs will not be approved/reimbursed. For local conferences, only conference registration will be reimbursed. Trainees who are MGB employees must submit their reimbursement request via a Peoplesoft Expense Report. Trainees who are not MGB employees must submit their Non-Employee Business Expense Report via the Payee Information Form. The contact person for reimbursement is the Program Manager. Further instructions can be found on the PhD Rehabilitation Sciences Teams channel and in the confirmation email received after submitting a Conference Funding Application.