Global Health Scholars Training Grant (Fall Application Cycle)

The Global Health Scholars Training Grant provides an opportunity for eligible students and scholars to conduct research focused on global health and / or health equity. Projects do not need to include international travel. Successful applicants receive the award to support global health research linked to Brown University faculty scholarly projects. We encourage applicants who are underrepresented in medicine to apply (URM definition).

Funding Structure

The Global Health Scholars Training grants provide stand-alone research seed grants to cover research and travel. Awards are made for up to $3,500 (local or remote projects) or $5,000 (projects at international sites). Applicants send detailed budgets.

Eligibility

An applicant must:

1. Be a 2nd-4th year medical student, graduate student, resident, or clinical and non-clinical post-doctoral fellow in any BioMed Department or Brown Affiliated Hospital. (Please note: The Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown is composed of The Warren Alpert Medical School, the Program in Biology, and affiliated teaching hospitals. The School of Public Health is not considered a part of BioMed.)
2. Have a demonstrated interest and/or have engaged in activities related to global health.
3. Have a proposed plan for global health work with a scholarly activity related to research, service, or advocacy.
4. Describe the Brown University faculty mentoring available for the proposed global health activity, and provide a required letter of support from the mentor. Applications should also include a letter of support from a collaborating research institution advisor based at the partner site or institution.
5. Have a plan in place to submit for IRB approval (if required). The faculty mentor must include a statement in their letter acknowledging the IRB plan
6. Awardees have up to one year to complete their project, or until they graduate from their fellowship or residency, whichever comes first. The project timeline should be detailed in the project proposal. After the completion of their project, awardees must be able to present their research at the annual Global Health and Equity Symposium, held each April. 

NOTE: Previous recipients of the Global Health Scholars Training Grants (formerly the Framework in Global Health Scholarship) are not eligible to apply for a repeat award.  The Global Health Scholars Training Grants is not available to applicants who plan to graduate and leave Brown at the end of the spring semester. 

Application

Please complete the online application, including all required documents, by Sunday, November 9, 2025. Applications will be reviewed by the Global Health Advisory Committee using this rubric. A complete application must include the following:

A. Project Proposal: Your project proposal must include the following sections (5 pages maximum, not including bibliography):

• Project title
• Project details (location, name of collaborating institution, timeline and duration including approximate beginning and end dates)
• Objective and specific aims
• Background and significance
• Methods (including data collection procedures, plan for data analysis)
• Plan for dissemination
• Plan for IRB (Indicate whether your project will require IRB and/or IACUC approval* from Brown/Lifespan/CareNE or other institutions and a brief statement on your timeline for IRB and/or IACUC submission. If your project has already been approved by the IRB and/or IACUC, please include approval date, approval number, and upload approval letter.
• Bibliography
• Note: If preliminary data are available to support the feasibility of this proposed research, you may include it, but it is optional. Alternatively or in addition, you may mention previous experience working with the overseas mentor, institution, and/or community.

E. Letters of Support: Applicants should share the below instructions with their mentors / advisors, and letters should include all applicable components. If an IRB is required, faculty mentors and advisors must acknowledge the IRB plan in their letters. Letters of support from advisors can be emailed directly to the Program Specialist, Laura Pleasants (laura_pleasants@brown.edu).

1. Letter of Support from Brown Faculty Mentor:  Brown faculty advisors should briefly describe their prior mentorship experience and their role in mentoring the applicant and supporting the successful execution of the project. Faculty letters should also include how advisors plan to help the applicant integrate principles of equity, ethical engagement, and bidirectional collaboration throughout project design, implementation, and dissemination. If the Brown mentor does not have prior connection to the collaborating research institution / international site, the Brown mentor should reach out to the collaborating institution to discuss project goals, study design, study design, research planning, implementation, and/or decision making. If an IRB is required, faculty mentors and advisors must acknowledge the IRB plan.
2. Letter of Support from co-mentor/advisor at collaborating research institution (if applicable): This letter should come from a collaborator based at the partner site or research institution where the project will take place. This applies particularly for applicants proposing to be based at another institution for the duration of the research experience but also for applicants proposing to remotely analyze data from another site (e.g., the applicant will be based in Providence but analyze data collected in partnership with an institution in Brazil). Advisors should briefly describe their prior mentorship experience and their role in mentoring the applicant and supporting the successful execution of the project. The letter should include a description of any previous collaborations between the collaborating co-mentor/institution and the primary mentor/institution, and should reflect a shared understanding of the project goals and highlight how the work aligns with local priorities. The letter should also describe the nature of the collaboration, expectations for mutual benefit, and local engagement in project planning or oversight.  If an IRB is required, faculty mentors and advisors must acknowledge the IRB plan.

F. IRB Approval Letter (if applicable): Include IRB plan in Project Proposal.

IRB Approval 

Does my project need IRB review?

If your project involves human subjects (this includes data collection from living individuals through interaction or intervention, or data collection of identifiable, private information through secondary data analysis), Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be required. You must provide documentation that verifies approval by the respective IRB of the institution where the research will be carried out and/or Brown University. If this is not available at the time of application, you should describe your timeline for obtaining IRB approval in your proposal.

Requirements for funded projects 

Individuals who receive a Global Health Scholars Training Grant must:

1. Register with TravelSafe before travel begins. Brown University requires all students, faculty, and affiliates traveling on Brown-sponsored funds to register their international travel.
2. Participate in Global Health and Equity Symposium: Recipients agree to produce a quality scholarly product and to participate in a poster presentation at Global Health and Equity Symposium, held in April every year. Though data analysis may not be complete at the time of the poster session, the purpose of the event is to showcase your research-in-progress to your fellow awardees, faculty mentors, and interested members of the Brown community.
3. Complete pre-travel orientation: CGHE requires that all scholars complete a virtual asynchronous Global Health Research Experience training (including articles, videos, and a quiz) before the proposed research begins.

For more information and questions, please contact CGHE Program Specialist, Laura Pleasants (laura_pleasants@brown.edu).

Previous Grantees

Fall 2025

Fall 2024 

Global Health Scholars Supplemental Travel Grant

Spring Application Cycle

The Brown Center for Global Health Equity provides supplemental stipends to help medical and PLME students cover international travel costs for their research projects.

Funding AT A GLANCE

• Award Amount: Up to $2,000
• Purpose: Supplemental support for international airfare and travel-related expenses.
• Application Deadline: Mid-February (via UFunds)

The Global Health Scholars Travel Grant is a supplemental travel stipend for medical students and PLME students who have had successful research grant funding (such as HEIDS, Warren Alpert Medical School SRA, PLME SRA, PCPM, etc.), and need additional international travel support. 

For global health projects requiring international travel, students may request consideration for an award up to $2,000 to support travel costs supported by the Brown Center for Global Health Equity.  

Eligibility

To be eligible for this supplemental grant, you must meet both of the following requirements:

1. Student Status: Current Brown Medical (MD) student or PLME student.
2. Primary Funding: You must have already secured (or be applying for) a primary research grant, such as: HEIDS, Warren Alpert Medical School SRA, PLME SRA, or PCPM.

Application 

Apply in the PLME / MD SRA application in UFunds; a separate travel grant application is not required. In the application, check "Yes" for the question: “Does your project require international travel, for which you are requesting a supplemental travel grant from the Global Health Initiative?”

Required Documentation: Ensure your application includes a second letter of support from your international mentor.

Requests are evaluated by the Global Health Advisory Committee.

REQUIREMENTS

Travel Grant recipients are required to:

1. Mentor-Mentee Agreement: You will complete and submit a Global Health mentor-mentee agreement by May, and meet all summer research expectations according to your agreement with your mentor.  Submission instructions will be provided by staff at the time of your award.
2. Pre-Departure Training: All students travelling abroad and supported by CGHE need to complete the short Global Health Research Experience training. To complete the training, you should read the 3 articles, watch the 2 short videos, and complete the brief "quiz." This should be completed before you depart the US.

3. Register with TravelSafe: Brown University requires all students, faculty, and affiliates traveling on Brown-sponsored funds to register their international travel information in TravelSafe. All travel details must be finalized to complete the process. The details you provide regarding itinerary and emergency contacts will help Brown’s International Travel Safety and Security administrators account for your well-being and provide assistance in the event of an emergency. 

   - Before your travel, make sure your immunizations are up to date by making an appointment with the University Medicine Travel Clinic or Brown Health Services Foreign Travel Services.

   - For travel recommendations for non US citizens, Brown's Office of Global Engagement has a Status Inquiry FAQ page. We recommend that students travelling review the Travel Guidance FAQs for some resources / guidance and relevant offices to contact with additional questions. 

4. Participate in Global Health Research and Equity Symposium: Receipt of the travel grant is contingent upon your agreement to produce a quality scholarly product and to participate in a poster presentation session at the Global Health Research and Equity Symposium, held in April of each year at the Warren Alpert Medical School. Though your data analysis may not be complete at the time of the poster session, the purpose of the event is to showcase your research-in-progress to your fellow awardees, faculty mentors, and interested members of the Brown community. Global Health Research Day is generally held in April each year. The Symposium is announced on the CGHE Events page.

Contact

For questions regarding the application process or travel requirements, please contact: Laura Pleasants (laura_pleasants@brown.edu).