Fellowship positions funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will open to MD and PhD fellows conducting research related to developmental biology, stem cells, and regenerative medicine. Fellows working on projects using stem or progenitor cells to model diseases, uncovering basic molecular mechanisms, and developing potential research tools are all encouraged to apply. The CHLA CIRM Scholar fellowships will be awarded for 2 years with the possibility of a third year of funding through a competitive renewal. To be eligible, an applicant must be a PhD postdoctoral fellow by the time of the start of the award, and should have no more than 5 years of fellowship experience for the new applications.
Number of Awards: Up to 3 PhD fellows, 1 MD fellow or 4 PhD fellows will be awarded.
The number of awards will be based on the quality of the applications. Unfunded applications can be resubmitted ONCE; if a fellow submits two unfunded applications, any future proposals will require an entirely new project to be considered.
Award Description and Eligibility
The goal of this fellowship is to support promising fellows (MD, PhD, or MD/PhD) who are interested in conducting research and establishing a successful career as a scientist.
- Candidates (fellows) must have no more than five years of experience as either a PhD postdoctoral fellow or as a clinical MD fellow.
- Candidates must be appointed into a “fellow” category (postdoctoral). Staff scientists, research associates, and research specialists are not eligible.
- Newly recruited Fellows will be eligible as long as they meet the eligibility requirements by the date upon which funding begins (October 1, 2024). External candidates must identify a CHLA mentor and submit a proposal related to the research interest of the mentor’s laboratory.
- If a fellow receives a faculty appointment or is awarded an extramural fellowship during the award period, the CIRM fellowship will be terminated.
- The award will provide funding for a stipend and associated fringe benefits (within CIRM limits). The stipend/salary is determined based on the CHLA salary guideline for postdoctoral fellows and the experience levels. The division/department/program/mentor is required to provide financial support for any difference between the award and the actual Fellow stipend/benefit costs.
- $12,000 research related expenses per Fellow will be awarded for travel, research services and workshop trainings, educational activities (including tuition for attending courses for credits), computer, TSRI core usage, and supplies.
- Funding for the second year will be contingent upon satisfactory progress made during the first year, as reported in the year one progress report (Scientific Merit Review).
- A mentor can only support one active awardee at any given time.
Responsibility of CIRM Scholars and mentors
- Awarded CIRM Scholars must be committed to the required educational activities (courses and workshops, weekly DBRM meeting, retreat) and outreach and patient engagement activities.
- CIRM scholars and their mentors must be willing to work with LA-HIP high school or CIRM funded high school students during the summer if requested. The agreement form will be signed before the award start date.
- An annual Progress Report based on CIRM guidelines will be required.
- Fellows shall maintain a current certificate of completion of instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research.
- Fellows must form a mentoring committee of three faculty members.
- CIRM support must be acknowledged in all manuscripts and posters resulting from the award; notify Dr. Ellen Lien (clien@chla.usc.edu) of any publications or extramural awards that result from CIRM support.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit the following in one single PDF file to Kathryn Aguilar (kaguilar@chla.usc.edu) by 5 p.m. PT on August 27, 2024.
- Cover Sheet with the following information:
Full name of the applicant and division and department
Full name of the mentor(s) and division and department
Title of Research Project
Start date as fellow - Fellow’s CIRM Biosketch (click here to download template)
- Research Proposal
Three-page (Arial font 11 with minimum margins of 0.5” on all sides) proposal outlining specific aims (one page), significance, innovation, and approach (total two pages, distribution of these sections is flexible). - Literature cited (do not count against the page limit).
- Mentor’s CIRM Biosketch
- One page (combined) description of career goals and individual development plan.
- Letter of support from the mentor, including a training plan for the fellow (maximum 3 pages).
- An additional letter of support, from an individual who will not be directly involved in training the Fellow at CHLA. This should be sent to Kathryn Aguilar directly by the referee, by August 27, 2024.
These positions are open to all qualified candidates. There are no limitations for citizenship status.
At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, our work matters. And so do each and every one of our valued team members. Your race and ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, and ability make you uniquely you – and that is just who we are looking for! So, bring the best of yourself and contribute to our mission in your own unique way.
Diversity inspires innovation. Our experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds allow us to better serve our patients. As an equal-opportunity employer, we celebrate the differences of our team members.
Program Director
Ching-Ling (Ellen) Lien, PhD
Associate Director
Mark Frey, PhD
Program Coordinator
Kathryn Aguilar
Potential Mentors
James Amatruda, MD, PhD
Amatruda Lab
Research Focus: Solid tumors of childhood, sarcomas, germ cell and Wilms tumor
David Cobrinik, MD, PhD
Cobrinik Lab
Research Focus: Modeling retinal development, tumorigenesis and tumor prevention
Stefano Da Sacco, PhD
GOFARR Lab
Research Focus: Kidney disease modeling on microfluidic glomerular chips
Roger De Filippo, MD
GOFARR Lab
Research Focus: Kidney diseases and regeneration using tissue engineering tools
Research Focus: Intergenerational legacies of stress
Research Focus: Regulation of intestinal stem cell niche and progenitor cell
Research Focus: Dysmotility inflammatory bowel disease colorectal bowel disease
Senta Georgia, PhD
Georgia Lab
Research Focus: Beta cell differentiation and regeneration
Research Focus: Fetal maternal health and human developmental biology
Research Focus: Tracheal stenosis and epithelial regeneration
Research Focus: Role of chromosome copy number changes in tumorigenesis
Yong-Mi Kim, MD, PhD, MPH
Yong-Mi Kim Lab
Research Focus: Microenvironment, Wnt and biophysical characteristics of leukemia
Rohit Kohli, MBBS, MS
Kohli Lab
Research Focus: Dysregulated functions underlying liver pathophysiology in kids
Rusty Lansford, PhD
Lansford Lab
Research Focus: Molecular and optical tools to study cell decision-making
Ching-Ling (Ellen) Lien, PhD
Lien Lab
Research Focus: Heart development and regeneration and iPSC human disease models
Research Focus: Imaging, stem cell therapy, disease models and preclinical studies
Research Focus: Retinal development and synaptogenesis
Research Focus: Cancer cells regulated by extracellular matrix
Research Focus: Stem cells derived from amniotic fluid and chronic kidney disease
Sargis Sedrakyan, PhD
GOFARR Lab
Research Focus: Endothelial damage and extracellular vesicles for kidney disease
Research Focus: Human lung developmental biology and regenerative medicine
View list of all investigators at Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Former trainees and CHLA CIRM alumni
Sean P. Martin, DO Clinical Fellow
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery. Penn State Health
Charlotte Austin, MD. Clinical Fellow
Current Position: Clinical residency. Family Medicine Program, Adventist Health White Memorial
Stephanie King, PhD. Postdoctoral Fellow
Current Position: AbbVie. Pharmaceutical Research & Development
Sumitha Prameela Bharathan, PhD. Postdoctoral Fellow
Current Position: Academia. Pursuing faculty positions in India.
Sara-Jane Onyeama, MD. Clinical Fellow
Current Position: Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics. Keck School of Medicine, USC
Michael Harrison, Ph.D. (Former Ching-Ling Lien Lab)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Weill Cornell Medicine
Gianluca Turcatel, Ph.D. (Former David Warburton Lab)
Current Position: Scientist at Amgen