Opportunities for Scholars

The Mellon Scholar program of the Richard King Mellon Institute for Pediatric Research at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is designed to mentor researchers and physician-scientists as they apply for funding. Opportunities for Mellon Scholars include:

• Innovation Awards
• For Mellon Scholars applying for large external grants, a group of senior investigators will review, score, and discuss proposals as they would for a National Institutes of Health Study Section. Reviewers will be recruited and paid. Scholars will receive written comments that will help them hone their applications prior to submission.

Innovation Awards

The Innovation Awards of the Richard King Mellon Institute for Pediatric Research at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh provides an opportunity for Mellon Scholars to apply for financial support for new research ideas that are highly imaginative but not yet reinforced by extensive preliminary results.

These awards enable researchers and physician-scientists to explore their idea before they are ready to apply for extramural funding while still encouraging collaboration.

Innovation Awards will be granted twice a year and processed through the Research Advisory Committee grant application process. Mechanism of support include:

• Pilot grant: $50,000 per year for two years
• Trainee grant: $50,000 per year for two years 
• All Mellon Scholars have access to $2,000 per year, for general research services

Mock Grant Application Study Section Reviews

For Mellon Scholars applying for large external grants, a group of senior investigators will review, score, and discuss proposals as they would for a National Institutes of Health Study Section. Reviewers will be recruited and paid. Scholars will receive written comments that will help them hone their applications prior to submission.

Tenure/Promotion Workshop

On Monday, September 25, 2023, the Richard King Mellon Institute for Pediatric Research at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh hosted a panel discussion workshop on:

“Demystifying the Tenure and Promotion Process”

Panelists included:

School of Medicine: Jacqueline Ho
Dept. of Pediatrics: John Alcorn & Rick Saladino
Dept. of Surgery: George Mazariegos
Mellon Alumni: Tim Hand & Sunny Sims-Lucas

Moderated by: George Gittes, Sunny Sims-Lucas, Dwi Kemaladewi

Additional resources

• Appointment and Promotion Materials - Common Mistakes (PDF)
• University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Guidelines for Faculty Appointment and Promotion (PDF)
• Checklist for Preparation of Faculty Portfolios for Appointment and Promotion with Tenure, Conferral of Tenure, or Appointment and Promotion in the Tenure Stream (PDF)
• Checklist for Preparation of Faculty Portfolios for Appointment and Promotion in the Appointment Stream (PDF)
• Checklist of Requested Document Updates (PDF)