Reproductive Scientist Development Program Grant

Reproductive Scientist Development Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: March Of Dimes Inc
Amount: Up to US $250,000
Last Updated: February 07, 2026

Summary

The Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP) aims to enhance maternal and infant health by supporting early-career researchers in obstetrics and gynecology. This program encourages applicants committed to advancing their careers in academic research. With a focus on health equity and the training of scholars, RSDP seeks to foster impactful research proposals that address critical issues such as prematurity and maternal morbidity. Funded by the March of Dimes and other organizations, it empowers diverse talent in the field.

Overview

NOTE: Before submitting this application, RSDP requires that the applicant submit a letter of intent to the  RSDP office. This will be reviewed by the Program Director and feedback will be provided to potential applicants. RSDP advises that applicants contact the RSDP office by phone or Email to confirm eligibility requirements prior to submission of a letter of intent or an application. Our Mission Our mission is to lead the fight for the health of all moms and babies. Our goals are to end the preventable maternal health risks and deaths, end preventable preterm birth and infant death, and close the health equity gap. Reproductive Scientist Development Program No matter where in their early career path applicants find themselves, scholars must be committed to a career in OB/GYN and medical research, ready to use the RSDP program as a springboard into the type of deeper and more targeted scientific inquiry their careers will ask of them. The RSDP program is more flexible in terms of research proposals. Due to its focus on young scientists who may not have had rigorous experience or training in scientific inquiry or publication, recipient acceptance into the program does not imply a need to conduct and publish novel, breakthrough scientific work in the OB/GYN space, as this in and of itself is rare. Rather, the program is a March of Dimes effort to recognize and strengthen the wide breadth of human talent in the OB/GYN field and spark a lifelong confidence, passion and commitment to maternal fetal health research that will undoubtedly change not only clinical outcomes, but lives, in the decades to come. As such, research proposals must be translational in nature and relate to the field of maternal fetal health – with a focus on prematurity, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality and health equity – but the outcome of the work is less important than the training and shaping of the recipient during the grant period. This program is administrated by a host institution and is funded by a coalition of organizations including the March of Dimes, with coalition members pooling funding to support the research work of about a dozen grant recipients annually, the grant structure has recently changed, with each coalition organization funding a specific recipient. Areas of Research Obstetrics and gynecology and their subspecialties (e.g. reproductive endocrinology and infertility)

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Must be seeking a career in academic obstetrics and gynecology research.  Applicants must be near completion of their residency in obstetrics and gynecology or in their subspecialty fellowship.  M.D. or D.O. degree.U.S. citizen, noncitizen national, or been lawfully admitted for permanent residence and possess an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151or I 155) or some other verification of legal admission as a permanent citizen at the time of the award.Completion of a four-year internship and residency in obstetrics-gynecology approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada by the time the RSDP training would begin.Prior laboratory experience is not a requirement for applicants, although a research proposal is required as part of the application.Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support. Potential applicants should promptly contact the RSDP office, as should the sponsoring Department Chair.