José Baselga Fellowship for Clinician Scientists

Supporting the development of clinician-scientists in oncology

ESMO recognizes the importance of the role of clinician-scientists in translational research in oncology and the impact that this will have on the future of cancer research and patient care. To support their progression as clinician-scientists, physicians need a professional environment that provides protected time for research, along with adequate resources and mentorship.

The José Baselga Fellowship for Clinician Scientists has been created by ESMO to help physicians wishing to follow this career path, and to honour the memory of Dr. José Baselga, a prominent clinician scientist who inspired many young oncologists in this field.

Amount and duration   

The fellowship has a duration of three years and will provide 200,000 euros to supplement the salary of one fellow for the entire duration of the fellowship.

ESMO will offer the fellow free registration to the ESMO Annual Congress and to any other meetings which are relevant to the area of their research.

This fellowship is sponsored by AstraZeneca.

Mentorship

The fellow will be paired with a member of the ESMO Faculty corresponding to their field of research.

Mentor and mentee will be required to define areas where guidance is needed, with the purpose of making the most of the fellowship and helping fellows to focus on future career goals. Mentees are expected to meet with their mentor on a regular basis (at least every two months).

Fellows would also be encouraged to interact with AstraZeneca as sponsors of the programme and will be given the chance to meet with AstraZeneca scientists at the ESMO Annual Congress.

Application requirements

Applicants must satisfy all the below criteria:

• Be an ESMO member.
• Be under the age of 40 when applying. An extension to the age limit will be applied to those who have taken maternity or paternity leave during their training – the limit will be extended by one year per child. 
• Be a fully qualified or board certified medical/clinical oncologist with at least one year of experience, post certification, in medical, radiation or surgical oncology and currently engaged in cancer research or clinical oncology practice.
• The fellowship must take place at a European institution and fellows are expected to spend at least 50% of their time on a research project.

Application must include:

• Completed online application form.
  • CV and list of publications and presentations (templates supplied)
    • Your CV should be no more than three A4 pages and should clearly indicate your current position in your CV. Please note: it is mandatory to include your H-Index according to Scopus in your CV.
• In addition, you should also include a list of publications and presentations (numbered and no more than one and a half A4 pages).
  • Publications: please include no more than 5 publications and include a short statement (no more than 2 sentences) explaining why you have selected these and the impact they have had on your work.
  • Publications should be full publications - not abstracts or communications.
  • Presentations should be limited to the last five years.

• Motivation letter, outlining why you are applying for this fellowship and how your skills and experience make you suitable for this award. This should be a maximum of 2 pages in font Arial Narrow, with a minimum font size 11-point
• Recommendation letter (max 1 page) from the Head of Department at the Institution where the fellowship will take place with clear statement of commitment to guarantee protected research time (equivalent to at least 50% of the candidate’s working time). This letter should also confirm that funding for the project has been secured and should include a brief description of the budget allocation.

Application review process:

Applications are reviewed by the ESMO Leadership Development Committee and the final selection will be approved by the ESMO Executive Board.

Applications will be judged on:

• Quality and novelty of the project proposal and potential impact on the field of clinical cancer research.
• The applicant’s track record, including scientific achievements, recommendation letter and demonstration of motivation to undertake the fellowship.