Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award

Purpose

The Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award (DCSA) recognizes outstanding mid-career physician-scientists who are applying the latest scientific advances to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of disease, and enables them to support and mentor the next generation of physician-scientists conducting clinical research.

Rationale & Program History

As the pressures on physician-scientists increase, it becomes more difficult for them to find the time and resources to conduct translational clinical research and mentor the next generation of investigators. This is true, unfortunately, at a time when the opportunities are greater than ever to translate basic discoveries into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of disease.

The Medical Research Program created the Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award to enable mid-career physician-scientists to continue to bridge the gap between bench science and clinical research as well as help cultivate a new generation of physician-scientists to fill that role.

From 1999 to 2008, 40 awards totaling close to $66 million have been granted to mid-career physician-scientists. In 2006 the Medical Research Program also awarded three continuation grants of $200,000 each to support exceptional mentoring projects of past DCSA recipients.

Award Details

DCSA competitions are typically held every other year. Grants of $1.5 million each are awarded to outstanding mid-career physician-scientists working to translate the latest scientific advances into clinical applications that will improve human health. Grants are awarded over a period of five to seven years, and at least one-third of the award must be used each year to train and mentor junior clinical investigators.

New grants are not being offered at this time.
To be notified of future DCSA competitions, sign up for the Medical Research Program's mailing list.

Criteria

Grantees must hold an M.D. degree from an accredited institution in the United States (holders of M.D./Ph.D. degrees are also eligible, as are holders of M.D.-equivalent degrees from non-U.S. institutions); hold a full-time university faculty appointment at the level of Associate Professor or above as of the date of nomination; have been appointed to their first full-time, faculty-level position for no more than 15 years; and have an established translational clinical research program.

Experiments that utilize animals or primary tissues
derived from animals are not eligible for support through
this award program.

Process

The Medical Research Program issues a Request for Nominations for this award competition, and employs a three-stage expert review process to select grantees.