Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award

Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award

Supports clinical physicians transitioning into full-time cancer laboratory research through physician-scientist training.

The Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award is a four-year cancer research training award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation designed specifically for MD and DO physicians — not MD/PhDs, who are explicitly ineligible — who have completed clinical training and wish to transition to full-time laboratory-based cancer research. The program addresses a recognized gap in the training pipeline: clinically trained physicians who want to pursue independent research careers but lack the laboratory research background typical of PhD-track candidates. Applicants must have completed residency and all clinical training, must be US Specialty Board eligible before the award start date, and must be capable of committing at least 80% of their professional effort to research. The candidate may not have had more than three years of prior postdoctoral laboratory research experience at the time of application.

The award provides $460,000 over four years, with annual payments escalating from $100,000 in Year 1 to $110,000 in Year 2, $120,000 in Year 3, and $130,000 in Year 4. Up to $100,000 in medical school debt repayment is also available, along with $1,000 per year per dependent child. Concurrent K awards are not permitted, with the exception of institutional K12 awards. Applicants may submit to this program a maximum of twice over their career. All research must be conducted at a US institution with an established cancer research mentor.

The 2026 application deadline is December 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Applications are submitted through the open-competition Proposal Central platform — no institutional nomination is required. The application must include institutional commitment letters from both the Dean or Cancer Center Director and the Department Head, confirming protected research time. Competitive applications pair a strong clinical background with a clear rationale for why laboratory research training will accelerate the candidate's impact on cancer medicine.