Applications for the 7th cohort of the Health Disparities Research Training fellowship will open to students in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine on October 1, 2026.
Developed by the Department of Behavioral Science, the purpose of the fellowship is to enhance medical students’ understanding of health disparities, and to better equip them to serve disproportionately impacted Kentuckians. The fellowship is open to first-year medical students, and is supported by the department’s Council on Community, Education, Research, and Training (CONCERT). Eighteen medical students have been supported by the fellowship since its inception. Two fellows will be selected to participate in the 2027-28 cohort.
Over the course of 18 months, each fellow will work with a Department of Behavioral Science faculty mentor on a research project focused on an aspect of alleviating health disparities or enhancing the health and well-being of those disproportionately impacted by health disparities. Clinical science, basic science, community-engagement, health humanities, or educational intervention projects will be considered.
Fellows receive a $5,000 stipend and up to $2,000 of research funds for pre-approved project costs, and will present their projects to the campus community.
All current first-year medical students are eligible to apply. You can find more information here: https://medicine.uky.edu/departments/behavioralscience/health-disparities-research-training-fellowship .
The council will accept applications from October 1, 2026 – November 2, 2026 at 11:59pm. Fellows will be chosen by early December 2026.
Students with questions about the fellowship can contact Darlingtina K. Esiaka, Ph.D., at dkesiaka@uky.edu or CONCERT at bscconcert@uky.edu.