NEW YORK – The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) is expanding its Genomics and Public Service Fellowship Program with a $7.1 million contract from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
The expanded program will add a Genomics Communications Fellowship to the Genetics & Public Policy Fellowship sponsored jointly by ASHG and the NHGRI and founded in 2002, and the Genetics Education & Engagement Fellowship, founded in 2015.
Applicants to these programs must have earned either a Ph.D. or a master's degree.
The new contract will also fund the creation of a two-year Postbaccalaureate Genomics Analyst Fellowship, which will provide early-career training opportunities for 14 individuals, aimed at gaining exposure to the processes through which science informs and supports civil society.
This fellowship assumes that applicants, who must be within one year of completing their undergraduate degree, will likely pursue graduate training in genomics, medicine, or other public service.
All fellows will participate in a regular colloquium covering a range of genomics and public service careers, attend the ASHG annual meeting, and receive support for additional professional activities.
ASHG will administer the program, adding a new staff position through contract funds.
Applications for both fellowships will open in the fall of this year.
"This expanded partnership builds on the tremendous success of the existing fellowships, which have an impressive history in launching the careers of genomics experts who are actively engaged in helping genomics to benefit society," NHGRI Director Eric Green said in a statement. "It is imperative that as this program grows, it reaches and recruits fellows from diverse and historically marginalized communities so that the genomics enterprise represents the diversity of the country."