Clinical Fellowship Program

ELIGIBILITY

• Candidates must hold an MD or equivalent medical degree prior to application for the clinical fellowship. Having completed a relevant internship and residency is desirable, but not obligatory
• Candidates with a specialty interest in neurology or any other field of medicine that is related and important to MS care and management are eligible (for instance, electrophysiology, physiotherapy/rehabilitation medicine, psychiatry, etc).
• In general, successful applicants will be less than 40 years of age at the time of application; however, there is no prohibition on applicants who are older, and exceptions under special circumstances will be considered.

CLINICAL TRAINING LOCATIONS

• The Clinical Training Fellowship period must be spent in an Academic/ Multiple Sclerosis Center or clinical research center focused on MS.
• The prospective fellow must determine in advance the Clinical fellowship Program location and identify a proposed mentor who will be supporting the training period, all of which will be considered along with the fellow’s own qualifications, in the review and selection process.
• The mentor and his/her institution must provide certification that the proposed training fellow will be allowed to undertake patient care in the institution including the licensure requirement

TERM

• Clinical Fellowships of 3 months, 6 months or 1-year duration will be available.
• In most circumstances, Clinical Fellowship must be initiated (all paper work submitted to the program administrator; move to training venue complete; work actively beginning) within 6 months of the receipt of an award letter from MENACTRIMS. Any exceptions of this must be approved by the MENACTRIMS fellowship program committee

SUPPORT

• MENACTRIMS will provide a stipend of USD 7,500 for a 3-month program, USD 15,000 for a 6-month program or USD 30,000 for a 1-year training program (excluding institutional fees).
• MENACTRIMS will also provide economy round-trip transportation from the successful candidate’s home location to the training site; travel expenses for family members cannot be provided.
• Payment from MENACTRIMS will be made to the host institution, which will be considered the employer of the fellow. Stipends will be paid by the host institution to the fellow according to the institution’s own payment policies and schedules.
• The MENACTRIMS award must be used by the institution to pay the fellow’s stipend (“salary”) at the appropriate rate for the fellow’s stage of training. This may include expenses for conference attendance and poster presentation.
• Fellows will be invited to attend the annual MENACTRIMS Congress during the term of their training period. MENACTRIMS will separately support travel and accommodations for Congress participation.

REPORTING

• Fellows and their mentors are required to provide report of the training experience at its conclusion due within 30 days of the completion of the fellowship program. Needed forms for completing the reporting will be provided by MENACTRIMS near the time of the end of the fellowship.

POST FELLOWSHIP FOLLOW UP

• MENACTRIMS Clinical Fellows will be required to maintain contact with the MENACTRIMS Secretariat, so that post-training career paths can be tracked, to assist with overall program evaluation.

MENACTRIMS Clinical Fellowships will be awarded in a competitive review process conducted by members of the MENACTRIMS Clinical Fellowship Review Committee. Applications will be evaluated based on the:

• Candidate qualifications, educational history and evaluation of career plans
• Qualifications and characteristics of the proposed training mentor and host institution
• The nature of the proposed clinical training plan, including any course work or clinical research that is anticipated
• Quality of letters of endorsement from the proposed mentor and from referees at the fellow’s home institution, etc.

All other conditions being satisfied, priority will be given to applicants from developing countries.

To these ends, the fellowship application should include:

Part 1: Provided by the Candidate

1. A completed online application, in English, available from the MENACTRIMS website including demographics of the candidate, her/his past experience, goals for training and future career plans.
2. An abbreviated curriculum vitae of the applicant including bibliography of any relevant publication
3. Applicant’s career plans
4. A clinical fellowship program description

Part 2: Supporting Materials Provided Directly to MENACTRIMS by Others

Please be sure to ask referees to clearly identify the NAME of the applicant on all pages of his/her letters.

1. From the proposed mentor: Letter of support from the proposed mentor, with special reference to interactions he/she has had with the proposed fellow in planning for the training period and with details of the clinical training program that will be provided to the candidate. Certification that the proposed fellow will be able to undertake clinical care training and activities at the training institution must be provided by the mentor. A current abbreviated curriculum vitae and bibliography for the proposed mentor should be included.
2. From the training institution:
   1) Letter of support from the department chair (or other relevant institutional official) at the proposed host institution accepting the proposed fellow, should a fellowship be awarded;
   2) Certification from the training institution accepting the terms of the MENACTRIMS fellowship and payments.
3. From other referees:At least two letters of reference from professionals acquainted with the proposed fellow, from his/her home institution or elsewhere, that address the fellow’s qualities and likelihood for success in clinical career focused on MS. If applicable, a letter from the home institution should be included, indicating that the fellow will be welcomed back to the institution and the nature of the position that will be available, once the fellowship period has been concluded.