Scholarships, Fellowships and Grants at the Friedman School

The faculty at the Friedman School seek opportunities from a variety of sources that provide financial assistance that defray tuition costs and help attract exceptional students to the School.

Below are current scholarships, fellowships and grants available to prospective and current students. For information about any of the listings below, please contact Stacey Herman, Director of Student Affairs at stacey.herman@tufts.edu or (617) 636-3711.

• Tufts University/USDA Doctoral Fellowships in Obesity
• Tufts University/USDA Master of Science Fellowships in Sustainable Sciences
• Nutrition and Cardiovascular Predoctoral Research Training Grant
• Research Training Program in Nutrition and Chronic Disease
• The Gerald J. Friedman Fellows in Nutrition and Citizenship
• The Stanley N. Gershoff Scholarship
• Scholarship Fund for Vegetarian and Plant-based Nutrition Studies
• Other Scholarships

Tufts-USDA Doctoral Fellowships in Obesity

Description:
It is our goal, through this training grant, to help produce outstanding doctoral students at the Friedman School with expertise in this growing domain in nutrition. All students will need to focus their doctoral research on human nutrition with an emphasis on issues relevant to obesity. It is expected that the fellows will conduct their doctoral research under the direction of one or several Friedman faculty members based in the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition.

Other faculty members with expertise in obesity, or related fields, will also assist the fellows' research as appropriate.

Eligibility:
These competitive fellowships are open to all Friedman School students and alumnae who are US citizens. We have funding for three doctoral students (full stipend) starting in the fall of 2008. Interested students need to simultaneously apply for the fellowship /and/ admissions into the Food Policy and Applied Nutrition, Biochemical or Molecular Nutrition, or the Nutritional Epidemiology doctoral program at the Friedman school. Friedman School doctoral students who are in the first or second semester of their doctoral work and have not taken their qualifying examination are also eligible.

It is our mission to provide the highest quality training and research opportunities to help these three fellows become effective future leaders in the field of nutrition and obesity.

Contacts:
Dr. Christina Economos christina.economos@tufts.edu
Dr. Miriam Nelson miriam.nelson@tufts.edu

Phone: (617) 636-3735

About the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition: http://jhcpan.nutrition.tufts.edu/about.html

Tufts University/USDA Master of Science Fellowships in Sustainable Sciences - Currently Unavailable

Description:
Selected Fellows will receive a tuition waiver for all 16 credits required for the Master of Science degree (two years of coursework) and may be eligible for additional stipend support. The mission of the Agriculture Food and the Environment Program is to educate future leaders at the nexus of agriculture, food, and environmental science and policy, and empower them by providing rigorous training, an ethic of social change, and an intellectual community generating visions and models of alternative systems. These fellowships, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Tufts University, are targeted to support dedicated to support diversity.

Eligibility:
The fellowship is for applicants applying to the Agriculture Food and the Environment program at the Friedman School.

Contacts:
Dr. Timothy Griffin e-mail: timothy.griffin@tufts.edu

Note:
This fellowship is currently full.

Nutrition and Cardiovascular Predoctoral Research Training Grant

Funding Agency:
National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute

Description:
The goal of the Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease Predoctoral Research Training Program is to prepare students to engage in nutrition and cardiovascular disease (CVD) research on a basic, clinical, and epidemiological level, and translational research. Diet and lifestyle play an important role in the pathogenesis of CVD. The maintenance of an appropriate diet and body weight, including the reduction of nutritional deficiencies and more importantly nutrient excesses, represents one of the most important and to date under-utilized approaches to maintain health and prevent chronic disease, especially CVD. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms that result in CVD risk reduction and identifying biomarkers to more precisely evaluate the efficacy of interventions, in humans, animal models and in vitro systems, is critical to moving the field forward. The intent of this predoctoral training grant is to prepare the next generation of researchers to make critical contributions to our understanding of the basic mechanisms associated with CVD risk factors and translate those findings in ways that will result in a reduction in the physical, psychological, and fiscal burdens associated with this disease.

Research training will be complemented by coursework in nutrition, biochemistry, physiology, statistics and epidemiology; weekly seminar series; and attendance and presentation at national conferences.

Eligibility:
These competitive fellowships are open to any doctoral student at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy who is a US citizen or permanent resident, and has established research involvement in the area of nutrition and CVD. Selected training grant recipients will receive a full tuition scholarship, stipend support, health insurance, and travel funds to attend relevant national meetings.

Contacts:
Dr. Alice Lichtenstein alice.lichtenstein@tufts.edu
Dr. Lynne Ausman  lynne.ausman@tufts.edu

Research Training Program in Nutrition and Chronic Disease

Funding Agency:
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Description:
The major goal of Research Training Program in Nutrition and Chronic Disease is to train the next generation of nutrition research investigators to address the role of diet in chronic disease prevention through the integration of training in basic sciences with nutrition science research that spans from the molecule to the whole organism, and beyond to entire populations. Topics of study include: obesity and nutrition; metabolism; diabetes; digestive diseases; and diseases of the kidney and pancreas. Research training will be complemented by coursework in nutrition, biochemistry, physiology, statistics and epidemiology; individually tailored research opportunities in the form of project-based laboratory rotations and data analysis opportunities; weekly seminar series; and attendance and presentation at national conferences.

Eligibility:
These competitive fellowships are open to any doctoral student enrolled in the Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program or the Nutritional Epidemiology Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and is a US citizen. Candidates must have established research involvement with one of the Training Program preceptors, specifically in the area of nutrition and chronic disease. Selected training grant recipients will receive a full tuition scholarship, stipend support, health insurance, and an award to support travel to national meetings.

Contact:
Dr. Lynne Ausman  lynne.ausman@tufts.edu

The Gerald J. Friedman Fellows in Nutrition and Citizenship

Description:
This prestigious award is given each year to the most meritorious doctoral students entering The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

The purpose of this newly launched fellowship program is to identify the future leaders in nutrition. Selection criteria for the fellowship emphasize both scholarship and service. The fellowship program is linked to the Tufts University College of Citizenship and Public Service; thus providing opportunities for the Fellows to actively contribute to the overall life at the Friedman School, the Tufts community, and the greater community at large.

There have been three students chosen each yar starting in 2005-2006. Each scholar is awarded full tuition and a yearly stipend.

The deans and faculty of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy are honored by the opportunity to award the Gerald J. Friedman Fellowships in Nutrition and Citizenship. We believe that these fellowships offer recognition of the caliber of the school's doctoral students and encourage all students to obtain even higher levels of achievement.

The Stanley N. Gershoff Scholarship

Description:
This prestigious award is given annually to meritorious students in the Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. This award is named in honor of Dean Emeritus Stanley Gershoff, the founding dean of the school and a passionate advocate for the translation of science into health and nutrition policy.

The purpose of this award is to recruit and retain the highest quality of doctoral candidates in the Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program. Recipients of this award will also play an active part in the planning of the Stanley N. Gershoff Symposium, an annual event that focuses on a controversial and timely issue facing the nutrition field.

Recipients of this annual award will be selected by a faculty committee. Selection criteria for this award include:

• Enrolled in the Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program at the Gerald J, and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. For candidates applying to the Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program, an offer of acceptance must be issued by the school's admission office prior to consideration for this scholarship.
• Intent to purse doctoral studies in the Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program at the Gerald J, and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Candidates with an undergraduate degree must apply for the Masters in Science degree, but are eligible for this scholarship if they declare their intent to continue in the doctoral program assuming satisfactory academic progress.
• A strong interest in the translation of science into health and nutrition policy. Recipients of this award will be members of the planning committee of the annual Stanley N. Gershoff Symposium, which enables the entire school and wider nutrition community to fulfill Dean Emeritus Gershoff's vision of bringing representatives of the biological sciences and social sciences together for lively debate on controversial topics in nutrition policy.
• Priority will be given to those applicants who can demonstrate a strong need for this scholarship in order to enroll and/or continue in their doctoral studies in the Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program. This academic program is a rich blend of students with diverse educational backgrounds and skills, which fosters an exciting exchange of ideas. Students with diverse academic backgrounds often are ineligible for conventional scholarships and funding sources. This scholarship provides a unique opportunity for these individuals to pursue studies in nutrition science that otherwise would not be afforded to them.

Scholarship Fund for Vegetarian and Plant-based Nutrition Studies

Description:
The scholarship is designed to financially assist students conducting research relevant to plant-based or vegetarian diets or related policies. Listed below are examples of the types research that the scholarship would permit:

• Effects of vegetarian or plant-based diets on healthy aging and longevity
• Comparison of the effects of soy protein vs. animal protein on cardiovascular risk
• Study of the positive effects of various vegetable oils over the use of animal fats
• Study of Isoflavonoids (photochemicals)
• Benefits of consuming caratenoids
• Health promoting effects on antioxidants phytochemicals in plants
• Effects of plant-derived vitamin E in prevention of heart disease, cancer and other chronic disease
• Benefits of vitamin Folate in cardiovascular health as well as cognitive function
• Study of fruit-derived substances and pigments that prevent cognitive decline
• Relationship between diets rich in fruits and vegetables and cardiovascular health
• Study of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables that prevent age-related eye disease

Other Scholarships

Helmut Schumann Fund for Research in Human Nutrition - Support for student research in human nutrition science. The fund is to be used to support a student's research dealing with nutritional subjects in the U.S.

Helen Smith Brownstein Memorial Scholarship Fund - The most flexible of the scholarships, any student is eligible. The donor indicated that preference could be given to women investigating nutrition and coronary disease however, they are flexible. Both male and female students have received this scholarship in the past as well as both policy and science students.