Current TOPS Fellows
Eligibility Requirements
Application Checklist
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Curriculum Vitae
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Must include a complete list of all publications for which you are an author or co-author.​
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CV may utilize any format or template; however, the Harvard Medical School template is recommended. The HMS CV guidelines can be found here.
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Letters of Recommendation
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Two letters of professional recommendation are required; up to three letters will be accepted. ​Letters should be written on official letterhead and contain signatures.
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Letters should be submitted by email from the reference's institutional/ organizational email account to tops_postdoc@dfci.harvard.edu. A confirmation email will be sent upon receipt.
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Statement 1 (of 2)
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Must be one page in length.
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Must describe your career journey so far.
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Statement should be single-spaced, 1-inch margins all around, 11-point Arial font.
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Statement 2 (of 2)
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Must be one page in length.
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Must describe your research interests, career goals, and why/how the TOPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program will help you achieve those goals.
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Statement should be single-spaced, 1-inch margins all around, 11-point Arial font.
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TOPS Application Form
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Download the TOPS Application Form here, fill it out, and submit it with the rest of your application (see below).
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If you are having trouble downloading the application form, please email tops_postdoc@dfci.harvard.edu for help.
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The individual to be trained must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence ("green card") at the time of appointment.
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Applicants must have an MD, PhD, ScD, and/or DO in order to be eligible to apply for this postdoctoral program.
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PhDs/ScDs may be in non-clinical fields (such as engineering or informatics), clinical fields (such as nursing or psychology), or social sciences (such as health policy, biostatistics, epidemiology, or economics).
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MD/DO physician researchers must have completed clinical training in a field relevant to cancer prevention and control. Prior exposure to clinical research is not required.
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Candidates may not be current or former principal investigators on any NIH research projects (R01/R21) , FIRST Awards (R29), subprojects of program project (P01), center grants (P50), or equivalent.
In most cases, this is a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship, but may be shorter.
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The TOPS Fellowship focuses exclusively on T3/T4, population sciences, and health services research; learn more here.
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TOPS Fellows will receive a stipend, tuition for coursework, a travel allowance, and a budget for research-related expenses.
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TOPS Fellows are required to participate in all 3 components of the program: (1) Mentored research experience, (2) Didactic learning and coursework, including the HSPH's Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness, and (3) Professional development, including participating in the TOPS seminar series.
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The application cycle for 2023 has closed. Directions below are for reference only. The application cycle for 2024 will open in October 2023.
How to Submit Your Application
Submit a single PDF that includes all of the following:
• Curriculum Vitae
• Statement 1 (of 2)
• Statement 2 (of 2)
• TOPS Application Form
Download the TOPS Application Form, fill it out, and submit it with the rest of your application.
Submit via email your complete application to tops_postdoc@dfci.harvard.edu.
• Letters of Recommendation
Letters should be submitted by email from the reference's institutional/organizational email account to tops_postdoc@dfci.harvard.edu. A confirmation email will be sent upon receipt.
Letters must be received no later than 5:00pm EST (USA) on December 19, 2022.
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