How to Apply: Eligibility, Selection Criteria, and Process - The Arnold P. Gold Foundation

Eligibility

Medical students at an accredited U.S. or Canadian school of allopathy or osteopathy, or at an international school with a Gold Humanism Honor Society chapter, may apply for either the Research or Service Fellowship. Students may apply as individuals or in a group.

Selection Criteria and Process

Gold Foundation staff select the Gold Student Summer Fellows according the following criteria:

New in 2025: Project must be connected to a longitudinal, evidence-based initiative, demonstrated with an accompanying letter of support from the project leadership and/or principal investigator
New in 2025: Project demonstrates a need identified by the patients or community members who will be the beneficiaries of the proposed intervention
Project involves humanism, underserved community, community health, or cultural humility
Project reflects quality and quantity of patient interaction
Project design is rational, with sound methodology, implementation, and plan for measuring outcomes
Proposal clearly outlines plans for measuring outcomes
Project involves interprofessional teamwork
Proposal identifies methods for sustainability
Project encourages systems change

We are particularly interested in projects that:

Involve a trauma-informed approach
Involve partnership with a community organization
Work toward developing healing-centered spaces, which we define as environments and systems which support and promote humanistic care and interactions across all members of the healthcare team, patients, and caregivers
Reflect values of equity and inclusion
Focus on improving the health and lives of traditionally underserved populations.

Additional Components

There are two types of fellowships:

The Gold Student Summer Research Fellowship is awarded for research in community health, cultural understanding, and advancing health equity. The research focus must on humanistic patient care and as such the proposal must show significant interaction with the intended patient population. The Foundation’s goal is to provide an opportunity for students to work directly with patients and to become more compassionate, relationship-centered physicians.

The Gold Student Summer Service Fellowship is intended to provide students an opportunity to lead a service project addressing a public health need in a community or population that has traditionally be underserved by healthcare, in conjunction with an existing longitudinal initiative and/or in collaboration with a community organization. The Foundation’s goal is to provide an opportunity for students to work directly with patients and to become more compassionate, relationship-centered physicians.

Patient interaction: We expect that all submissions will include some level of patient interaction. If there are obstacles with this component of your application, please address it specifically in your proposal. If your project involves travel, please abide by the parameters of your institution and local restrictions.

Mentorship: The student is expected to conduct the project under the oversight of a mentor. The student is responsible for identifying an appropriate mentor from their school. The mentor must be a medical school faculty member.

Onsite supervisor: This is only required if your project takes place offsite or overseas. The onsite supervisor can be any professional that makes sense for the fellowship.

How and When to Apply

The 2025 Gold Student Summer Fellowships application period is now closed.

All applications must be submitted using our online form and adhere to the application requirements listed below.

Documents must be named using the following format: lastname_firstname_documenttype, e.g. Simmons_Amanda_MentorFormB

Application Requirements

Your application must include:

Electronic application
Gold SSF Mentor Form A (download and attach to application)
Letter of support from the Student Affairs or Medical Education Dean must accompany all applications. The letter must state that: 1) the student is presently in good academic standing, 2) the school approves of the mentor and the location of the project, and, 3) the school is willing to accept and administer the grant on the student’s behalf.
New in 2025: Letter of support from the principal investigator or leader of the longitudinal initiative the applicant(s) is(are) joining through the proposed project. The letter must state how the student(s) will be supervised during the course of the project.
Letter of support, if applicable, from the organization or institution that you will partner with to implement your project, is optional yet highly recommended.
New in 2025: The Gold Foundation does not require a project budget as the funds are meant to generally support the student(s) to be able to carry out their work during the fellowship period. Included with the proposal narrative, we are asking for a brief description of how the stipend will be used, whether it is for covering personal expenses for the summer period or for direct project expenses, or both. This is for information purposes only and will not impact selection of the project.
Proposal: Submit your proposal by downloading and completing the template (Word document). For your application to be considered, carefully follow the instructions at the top of the template, complete all questions except where noted, and adhere to the word count limits given for each question.