NIH OxCam Track 2

[Peritus_Medicus]

Hello - I am strongly considering applying for the Track 2 pathway of the NIH OxCam program next August. I was hoping that a current Track 2 student might be on the site, and be able to share their insights into the program and application process.

I am specifically curious about:
1) Coordinating a project between 2-3 labs - this sounds like an absolute blast to me, since I tend to take a highly independent path in my research. However, I'm sure it could also present some significant obstacles.
2) Taking a Leave of Absence from my MSTP - I have confirmed that my MSTP will allow a leave of absence (in fact, a previous student in our program completed OxCam a few years back). However, I'm not sure how difficult this process is, and whether it will negatively affect funding.
3) Building a strong application - Based on the NIH data, it is unclear how competitive Track 2 applications are. Any suggestions on what distinguishes strong applicants would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

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[Mr.Smile12]

For reference sake Home | National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program

I hope you get someone to respond. If not, I think their sessions for prospective applicants will start up in September. You can definitely try networking, including seeing if you can find someone through LinkedIn. I don't know if there are any that are members of https://www.physicianscientists.org/ but perhaps there are presentations from some there, so try to connect that way.

Before you coordinate with any projects, talk to your home PI. It's obviously easier if that PI already has a collaboration with someone in the OxCam program (or elsewhere for that matter), but the project has to be right and both PI's need to agree to whose NIH budget will pay for you.