Fellowship Benefits
There are many benefits for recipients of the OHSU Fellowship for Diversity in Research. Fellows are able to access the following:
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Salary and benefits: are provided for the first-year as an OFDIR Fellow. Salary is based on the NIH pay scale. Additionally, Fellows receive support in seeking other funding for additional years after the first year as an OFDIR Fellow.
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Monthly Scholars Sharing Seminar gatherings: at the end of each month, all Fellows are invited to attend this (currently virtual) gathering to socialize with other Fellows and hear about their research or listen to a presentation from an invited guest. Several times a year, these seminars feature various professional development topics as well.
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Regular check-ins with Program Administrators: when Fellows onboard, they will be invited to schedule regular (bi-weekly, monthly, etc.) check-ins with Program Administrators, Drs. Angela Ozburn and Letisha Wyatt. During these check-ins, Fellows will be able to ask any questions they have about accessing program resources, addressing any challenges that may arise in their mentorship relationship, seeking input about career goals, etc.
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$3K relocation funds: hired Fellows will be provided information about OHSU's relocation services which they may choose to contract with for un-taxed relocation coverage up to $3000. If Fellows prefer to handle their relocation process themselves, they may also submit receipts and be reimbursed up to $3000 (subject to tax) for the cost of moving to Portland.
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$5K professional development funds: at the beginning of a Fellow's OFDIR year, they will have $5000 transferred into an account within their department. These funds are then theirs to use throughout their time at OHSU (the funds do not need to be spent within the first year only) for attending conferences, purchasing software or other work materials, etc.
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Bi-weekly newsletters with training & funding opportunities: the OFDIR staff sends out bi-weekly newsletters with lots of information about local events for community-building and professional development, national conference and funding opportunities, mentor-mentee resources, OHSU trainings, and more. These newsletters, along with our OFDIR Slack channel, are also a space for shouting out the many achievements of Fellows and OFDIR mentors/advisors too.
When I moved to Portland I did not have preliminary data or experience in NIH-grant writing to submit a grant that would fund my work here. I reached out to OFDIR searching for a fellowship, but I found out that the program offers much more, such as relocation, bench money for lab supplies and training, grant-writing courses, professional development counseling and a truly supportive network. With the support of OFDIR and Luiz Bertassoni (my current PI) I had the time, resources and mentoring needed to get the preliminary results for a successful grant application and to be part of the exciting team that is working with the Tooth-on-a-chip.
Writing Support
Rachel Dresbeck, Ph.D. is the Senior Director of OHSU Research Development. She is an adjacent member of the OFDIR advisory committee and provides support for scholarly writing and grantsmanship. Fellows are able to attend Dr. Dresbeck's writing course free of cost and also are welcome to schedule one-to-one meetings with her to work on papers, grant applications, and more.