Translational Health Data Science Fellowship

UC Davis graduate students engaging in applied health data science research are encouraged to apply for a 9 month fellowship program supported by CITRIS, CTSC, and Department of Public Health Sciences in collaboration with DataLab.

Background. The Translational Health Data Science Fellowship Program seeks to support advanced masters and doctoral graduate students for mentored research in Health Data Science. The Fellowship Program is open to interdisciplinary fields including but not limited to: computer science, electrical and computer engineering, communications, biomedical translational research, bioengineering, informatics, public health, and environmental science – with a focus on applied human health data science. The goal of this program is to provide students with the opportunity to participate in mentored research that advances their graduate progress. Outcomes can include student thesis or dissertations, publications, software, and/or data sets.

Responsive areas of student-led applications include, but are not limited to, applied areas including:

• Adaptation of ML/NLP methodology and workflows to complex heterogeneous health data sets;
• Design and evaluation of usability and user interaction technology in health environments;
• Assessing adaptation of voice recognition and natural speech translation to different health communities (e.g., children, dementia patients, non-English speaking);
• Piloting approaches to security and access to protected health data;
• Cohort characterization and digital phenotyping in clinical or public health data;
• Translational bioinformatics and human health data modeling;
• and other applied health data science projects.

Examples of projects that would not qualify for this program include:

• Development of theoretical models only;
• Clinical trials of any form;
• Commercial products;
• Any projects that do not have any direct contact with human or public health.

Eligibility. Graduate students currently enrolled in a UC Davis graduate program in good standing, and who will graduate no earlier than Summer 2022, are eligible to apply. Students must identify two mentors from UC Davis (with at least one mentor affiliated with UC Davis Health) with suitable expertise and availability to help guide the proposed research project. UC Berkeley graduate students with an identified UC Davis Health faculty mentor are also eligible to apply.

Funding. Applications with a clearly outlined budget justification will be considered for up to $30,000. The budget can include stipends to students currently enrolled in a graduate program at UC Davis, funds for specialized equipment, consultative needs from a campus core service, etc. No faculty or professional staff salary support is permitted.

Key Dates

• Call for Applications opens November 5, 2021
• Applications due by December 1, 2021
• Selected applicants notified approximately December 15, 2021
• Appointment period runs from January 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022
• Public symposia presentation will occur summer 2022

Proposal Requirements

Submit all materials as one pdf document to datalab@ucdavis.edu with the subject “Translational Health Data Science Fellowship Application.” Required materials include:

• Application Coverletter Form
• Two-page structured project proposal:
  1. Title of Project;
  2. Statement of the research problem;
  3. Background and current state of the field;
  4. Approach;
  5. Expected products and outcomes;
  6. Contingency plan;
  7. Timeline.
• Biosketches. A NIH 2-page fellowship biosketch is required for the student applicant and a standard NIH biosketch is required for all mentors. Please ensure these biosketches are current and adhere to all NIH requirements.
  • Fellow biosketch template
  • Mentor biosketch template
• Two letters of recommendation. One letter is required from a faculty mentor from UC Davis Health (School of Nursing or School of Medicine). If the student’s home graduate group/program is not based in human health at UC Davis Health, the second letter must be from a faculty mentor within the student’s graduate group/program.
• Supporting letter from the graduate program chair (or designee) indicating that the applicant meets the selection criteria (current graduate student in good standing and not expected to graduate before summer 2022). If the chair is a recommendation letter writer, this information can be included within their letter.
• Completed Budget Justification form.

Fellowship Expectations

• All fellows are expected to meet at least monthly with their faculty mentor(s) and provide quarterly reports on their research progress to the fellowship program.
• All fellows are expected to present at and participate in a public research symposium to be held in Summer 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can international graduate students apply? Yes, any currently enrolled graduate student can apply.
• If I might graduate in June 2022, can I still apply? Yes, assuming you can complete the proposed research before graduation and can return for the summer research symposium. Support funding is only available while the fellow is a currently enrolled student.
• What should I do for my biosketch if I don’t have an eRA Commons User Name?​​ If you do not already have an eRA Commons User Name, you can request one from SPOeRAHelp@ucdavis.edu.
• I’m not a graduate student, can I apply? No. You must be an enrolled masters or PhD student to apply for this fellowship.

Questions? Email DataLab.