Applications for Summer 2026 admission are due December 1, 2025.
All applicants who meet the deadline are considered for ITMAT Funding.
We are glad to connect with interested applicants throughout the year. Through an initial consult, program faculty and staff can gain understanding to which program may best align with your career goals, connect you to current students or faculty for additional insight, answer questions about the application process, and provide feedback on project proposals.
You can enter information in stages, at your own pace, and access the application any number of times until submission.
Once the application has been fully submitted, check the status and note the receipt of recommendation letters.
One-to-one application support is available. Contact us and we'll be glad to discuss your potential application or answer any questions.
Postdoctoral Applicants
must have MD, PhD, MSN, VMD, or DMD level degree
must enroll as full-time students and are not eligible to apply unless 80% of their time is protected
must have a Primary Research Mentor and a Translational Research project based at Perelman School of Medicine and/or Children's Hospital of Philadelphia prior to application.
Predoctoral Applicants
must be enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in the MD, DMD, VMD, Nursing, or Biomedical Science PhD programs.
must have a Primary Research Mentor and a Translational Research project based at Perelman School of Medicine and/or Children's Hospital of Philadelphia prior to application.
MD-MSTR applicants apply in fall of year 3 of the MD program.
DMD-MSTR applicants apply in the fall of year 2 of the DMD program and follow the dental dual-degree application process.
VMD-MSTR applicants follow the timeline for the PennVet OneHealth Program.
In addition to the form, your application will require the upload of multiple documents and a fee. Please add headers with your name to the applicable documents.
Curriculum Vitae
Personal statement (one page)
Describe your career goals and what skills you need to reach those goals
Include a learning plan of the activities that will help you attain these skills
Predoctoral (MD, DMD, VMD) Students, please address the following:
What motivated you to pursue the MSTR program versus the other Master Degree programs or ‘year out’ research opportunities?
Why do you want to pursue formal research training during graduate school versus a later stage of training?
Why are you seeking formal training in Translational Research?
Research plan: 2-3 page description of proposed research project. Projects should be translational in nature, including translation of discoveries into human experimentation and implementation into clinical practice.
Primary Mentor NIH biosketch and other support
Unofficial Transcripts from all institutions attended. Accepted applicants will be required to submit official transcripts.
Three letters of support from the applicant's:
Primary mentor (send them the guidelines indicated in Primary Mentor Guidelines section of this page)
Secondary/co-mentor if applicable, or faculty member who can speak to your suitability for the MSTR program and/or experience in research
Third faculty member who can speak to your suitability for the MSTR program and/or experience in research
For postdoctoral applicants, choose another faculty member
For all pre-doctoral applicants, choose another faculty member from undergraduate or graduate/medical school
Note that applicants should communicate with their letter writers to let them know they will receive requests with instructions to upload letters. Input recommenders and send the letter requests via the application system as soon as possible upon starting the application. These requests can be sent while your application is in progress. Letters of support have the same deadline as the application.
Applicant Funding Support
Submit this information in the Funding Section of the application.
Include any current, pending or planned awards for salary, tuition, or research supplies.
Please be as specific as possible when describing current or potential support details: e.g. appointed to a T32 training grant, PI/Name of Grant, dates of appointment, amount available for tuition support each year.
Application Fee: $45
Please note that the letters of support have specific guidelines:
The Mentor(s) letter of support should address the following:
The commitment to mentor the candidate
The suitability of the trainee's education objectives for stated career goals
The feasibility and relevance of stated area of research to be undertaken during the program to include:
The resources available to complete the research
The availability of collaborative relationships that may be required to undertake the research question
Mentor's prior experience mentoring in ITMAT programs and/or mentoring translational research trainees
Add an appendix: Mentor's biosketch and other support
