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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TOPS will postpone applications for postdoc positions beginning in July 2024 as we work to renew our funding. Please email tops_postdoc@dfci.harvard.edu if you would like to be contacted when we open recruitment for the July 2025 cohort. The instructions on this page have been provided for future reference.
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.
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