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Parker B. Francis Summer Fellowship

The Parker B. Francis Summer Research Fellowship Program provides valuable and unique medical research opportunities for Kansas City area undergraduate students pursuing careers in medicine and medical research.

Dr. Steven Simpson and Sanjay Parashar, 2016 PBF Summer FellowDr. Steven Simpson and Sanjay Parashar, 2016 PBF Summer Fellow


The Parker B. Francis (PBF) Summer Fellowships support promising undergraduate students for full-time 35 hours a week for a 10-week summer research fellowships.

  • PBF Summer Fellows are matched with faculty mentors at the University of Kansas who direct their summer research work.
  • Fellows participate in bi-weekly meetings, led by Dr. Dhillon, Professor in the Department of Medicine and PBF Summer Fellowship Director; the meetings provide an opportunity for the fellows to participate in research discussions and give oral presentations on their research work.
  • The Summer Fellows give PowerPoint presentations of their research work at a PBF Research Presentation Day with the full group of Summer Fellows and Mentors, the Chairman of the Department of Medicine, other invited faculty, the PBF Fellowship Program Scientific Director, and Family Foundation representatives.

Application Deadline: Friday, February 7, 2025

Fellowship Program Leadership

  • Navneet Dhillon, Ph.D., PBF Summer Fellowship Director, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
  • Nancy Stewart, D.O., MS, Clinical Shadowing, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine 
  • Melanie Bassham, PBF Summer Fellowship Administrator, Pulmonary Research Division
Dr. Navneet Dhillon and Tomara Konstantinova, 2014 PBF Summer Fellow
Dr. Navneet Dhillon and Tomara Konstantinova, 2014 PBF Summer Fellow
Dr. Welche and Victoria Marshall, 2019 PBF Summer Fellowship
Dr. Welch and Victoria Marshall, 2019 PBF Summer Fellowship
"I learned much more than I thought was possible over 12 weeks. Explaining my project to the other summer fellows at the bi-weekly meetings enabled me to better comprehend my research work, to communicate more effectively and refine my presenting skills."
Additional details about the fellowship:

The goal of the program is to encourage students to pursue careers in research related to lung disease.  Research projects with broad relevance to lung diseases will be considered.  Successful applicants will be students interested in pursuing a career in science or medicine. The PBF Summer Fellowships are funded by the Francis Family Foundation through the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute.

Summer fellows will work as temporary student employees at the University of Kansas.  The PBF Summer Fellowship provides a stipend to the student for the 10-week work/study period starting the day after Memorial Day. The student is responsible for housing and transportation and is expected to comply with all University of Kansas laboratory regulations and training requirements.

Applicants must be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate program at the time of application and have:

  • a cumulative grade point average > 3.0
  • completed college-level introductory courses in chemistry and biology
  • plans to pursue a career in medicine or science
  • U.S. citizenship or hold a U.S. permanent resident visa

The student will list on their application two faculty members at the University of Kansas who are conducting research with broad relevance to pulmonary diseases as potential mentors for their summer fellowship. View the list of potential mentors to choose from, or the applicant may identify a mentor not on this list who is a faculty member with an appropriate research program at the University of Kansas. To apply the applicant must upload the following documents here.

  1. PBF Fellowship application, complete save as a single PDF file
  2. Official college transcript
  3. Submit two confidential letters of recommendations on the PBF Summer Fellowship Program recommendation form to be sent directly by the letter writer to Melanie Bassham, mbassham@kumc.edu.

Important note regarding completion of the application

  • Please follow all instructions carefully for each section of the application.
  • Please note that the application will not be considered if:
    • it is received after the deadline
    • it is incomplete
    • it does not comply with the format or guidelines for the number of words

After completing the PBF Summer Fellowship Application Form

  • Check that your margins are at .5”, text is in single-line spacing, Arial 11-point font.
  • Check to be sure you have not exceeded the specified word limits for each section.
  • Convert the Word application file to a PDF file.
  • Upload your application and college transcript here. 
  • Check back with the individuals writing recommendations to be sure their recommendations were completed using the PBF Summer Fellowship recommendation form and that they are submitted prior to the deadline of February 7, 2025.
  • Check with your institution to be sure your college transcript has been sent.

Submission Instructions

All application materials must be received no later than February 7, 2025.

Completed applications should be uploaded using the secure file transfer upload form.

Official transcript sent directly by the college or uploaded using the secure file transfer upload form.

Two confidential letters of recommendation on the PDF Summer Fellowship recommendation form to be sent directly by the letter writer to Melanie Bassham, mbassham@kumc.edu.

Application Review Process

Applications are reviewed by members of the Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program Council of Scientific Advisors. We will notify all applicants of the award decision no later than March 3, 2025.

Questions?

Email Melanie Bassham, Program Administrator at mbassham@kumc.edu.

Internal Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Internal Medicine
Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine Division
Mailstop 3007
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS 66160
Phone: 913-588-6045