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Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship

Nominations open January 2, 2024

Deadline: Friday, April 5, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET

This award recognizes an outstanding assistant-level faculty member who demonstrates leadership potential in addressing inequity in medical education and health care; demonstrates efforts in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States; and is committed to a career in academic medicine.

The recipient receives a $25,000 grant to support a project performed in the United States to support racial and ethnic minorities. Recipients are required to accept the award at Learn Serve Lead 2024: The AAMC Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

Funding for the fellowship begins in November of the year the fellowship is awarded and must be used for direct costs. The recipient will be required to submit a final narrative and financial report by November 2026.

A medical school may nominate one current faculty member per year for this award. A candidate must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  • Hold the rank of full-time assistant professor in a LCME-accredited U.S. medical school department.
  • Have held the assistant professor position appointment beginning no earlier than July 1, 2021.
  • Have received only one appointment as assistant professor.
  • Hold a MD, PhD, or have earned another doctoral degree.

Learn about Dr. Herbert W. Nickens’ contributions to academic medicine in Reflections on Diversity and Inclusion in Academic Medicine commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Nickens Awards.

Award Program Book

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Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship

Your nomination packet must include the following:

  1. A nomination letter from the medical school’s dean or the dean’s designee (please state if dean’s designee) discussing the nominee’s:
    • Demonstrated efforts in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States.
    • Potential for leadership in addressing inequities in medical education and health care.
    • Strong promise for a career in academic medicine.
  2. A letter of recommendation from the nominee’s department or section chair.
  3. A letter of recommendation from an individual of the nominee’s choosing.
  4. A personal statement from the nominee discussing their motivations and objectives for a career in academic medicine and for achieving health equity for racial and ethnic minorities (not to exceed two double-spaced pages).
  5. A project description that includes the nominee’s project overview, aims, and methods that are clear and feasible within the project timeline (not to exceed two pages). Please use this template provided (PDF).
  6. The nominee’s project goals and anticipated outcomes that align with the Award goals to advance health equity and diversity in the United States (not to exceed two pages). Please use this template provided (PDF).
  7. An itemized one-page budget with specific details on how the fellowship funds will be used. Include description of any supplemental resources that may support this project (e.g., other funding, protected time, etc.).
  8. A current curriculum vitae (CV) for the nominee, which clearly indicates exact date of appointment and current contact information.

All letters and personal statements should be double-spaced, have one-inch margins, and be written in Times New Roman 12-point font.

Please address all questions to:
Angela Moses
202-862-6203
NickensAwards@aamc.org

2022 - Ofole Mgbako, MD, is the 2022 Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship recipient. Dr. Mgbako is an assistant professor of medicine and population health, section chief of Infectious Diseases at Bellevue Hospital, and co-clinical pillar lead of the NYU Langone Institute for Excellence in Health Equity. Dr. Mgbako's research focuses on biobehavioral interventions and outcomes for racial, gender, and sexual minorities along the HIV care continuum. He is interested in the impact of interventions and novel technologies on retention in care, antiretroviral therapy adherence, and viral load suppression among marginalized populations. Dr. Mgbako is broadly interested in how the structural and psychosocial determinants of health — such as trauma, structural racism, and homophobia — impact HIV-related outcomes.

Past Recipients