MAVRI Research-Oriented Medical Residency
About the program
The MAVRI Research-Oriented Medical Residency program aims to promote in-depth research training for physicians during residency, in which they will acquire significant training, skills and research experience in outstanding research laboratories across multiple disciplines in Israel. Candidates are expected to be highly qualified residents who aspire a career as senior physician- scientists in Israeli hospitals, with the aim of increasing this unique community in Israel and supporting their ability to build a career that integrates clinical work with profound biomedical research. The Research-oriented Residency program is a joint initiative of MAVRI, the Scientific Council of the Israel Medical Association, the Israel Science Foundation, Yad Hanadiv and Klarman Family Foundation, and is supported also by the Ministry of Health. The program call will be announced bi-annually, for 2024 there will be a pilot phase that will be launched in 5/2024.
Program chair: Professor Irit Ben-Aharon
Program council: Professor Benjamin Geiger, head of MAVRI initiative and Professor Hanoch Kashtan, head of Scientific Council (IMA).
Within the Research-Oriented Residency program 9 months of integral periods of the residency syllabus will be compiled with an additional 15 months (funded by MAVRI program) into a 24-month research period at the last part of the residency, in which the resident will perform research in a top-class academic laboratory.
Target Audience
Medical residents, who have passed the first board certification exam (“shlav alef”) and have a remaining residency time of 18-24 months, who have not performed the period of “Madaey Yesod” and a 3-month rotation (these two periods will be integrated within the research timeframe), with prior research background (a PhD degree is not mandatory) who are interested in advancing their research skills and dedicating an extended period of time to research. The program will enroll up to 20 residents each year (in two cycles), to be selected by the Academic Scientific Committee of MAVRI in a competitive evaluation process.
Program Activities
The 24 months dedicated to research will also include a broad program of educational research tools (via workshops and courses) and community activities. Mentoring will be a key component of the program, aiming to create an ecosystem for residents and mentors to increase collaboration and foster wide-scope and ambitious research partnerships.
Eligibility
Eligible to submit proposals – Medical residents, with prior research background (a PhD degree is not mandatory), who passed the first board certification exam (shlav alef) and have a remaining residency time of 18-24 months. Eligible to submit are residents who have not performed the period of Madaey Yesod and the 3-month rotation (these two periods will be integrated within the research timeframe.
- In 2024, the program will be launched as pilot cycle, confined to medical residents in one of three specialties: Neurology, Oncology, and Medical Imaging, who have 12 to 24 months remaining time of their residency period (who had not performed Madaey yYsod and a 3-month rotation). In this cycle 10-12 candidates will be admitted into the program.
- The mentor must be an active researcher with experience in supervising advanced degree candidates (see in detail the attached call) that meets eligibility criteria of the ISF grants.
- Exceptional requests concerning personal eligibility must be submitted in writing to the program’s administration and will be evaluated based on their merits. Such requests should be directed to: mavri@ima.org.il.
Thematic Focus:
The proposed research should address a wide range of topics with direct relevance to human health and medicine. It should be noted that the core of the research proposal (its central axis) must focus on a fundamental – biological or medical – research question. The training will focus on acquiring research skills in key areas of biomedicine.
Review process:
As in all MAVRI programs, the proposals are evaluated through a competitive process, based solely on their scientific merit.
- The main criteria for selection:
- Personal excellence of the applicant
- The applicant’s suitability for the physician-scientist track (as demonstrated by past achievements and letters of recommendation).
- The applicant’s research experience.
- The expected contribution of the mentor
Application and supporting documents:
Candidates should submit their application online (via email) and must include the following materials:
- A curriculum vitae including lists of publications.
- A personal statement (up to 100 words), addressing the candidate’s motivation for joining this program.
- A letter from the department head of the applicant, approving the application and clearly confirming the allocation of protected time, as specified in the submission guidelines.
- A letter from the nominating hospital Director, confirming the hospital’s intention to create a research-oriented position for the candidate, should the Fellowship period prove successful.
- A letter of invitation or acceptance from the future mentor and the host institution.
- Three additional letters of recommendation (in English), submitted directly to the program administration (mavri@ima.org.il).
- A description of the proposed research project (up to 5 pages) including:
- Background
- Scientific aims
- A short description of the research plan
Candidate Notification
Deadline Extended to Thursday, June 27th, 2024 – APPLY TODAY!
Candidates will be reviewed in a two-stage process, including an interview of selected candidates by MAVRI evaluation committee of this program. Candidates invited to an interview will be notified directly. Please note that interviews will be held in early August 2024 with final notifications by late August 2024.
