Post-Doctoral Fellowships
Expand your knowledge and body of research at the University of Utah College of Nursing. We are among the top 20 nursing schools in the US for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding, and possess a total grant portfolio of $43 million.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Overview
The training focuses on social determinants of health and systems and models of care that align with new innovations and imperatives in science focused on health inequities. Training will leverage the breadth and strength of College of Nursing faculty research programs, such as in family caregiver research, and University of Utah (UU) research centers to support opportunities for developing multi-level health interventions to address health inequities using data science, pragmatic interventions, and community engagement.
We seek to push boundaries by ensuring nurse scientist training integrates community and societal levels of influence. This is accomplished by partnering with interdisciplinary faculty to address NINR’s guiding principles to support research that is innovative; tackles today’s pressing health challenges and stimulates discoveries to prepare for, prevent, or address tomorrow’s challenges; and discovers solutions to optimize health across clinical, community, and policy settings.
Utah’s Post-Doctoral Training Program
Each fellow participates in a two-year training program consisting of a combination of:
- Intensive individual mentoring
- Interdisciplinary team mentoring
- Grant writing training
- Career development
- Journal Club
- Fellows writing group
- Visiting scholars
- Conference-based learning
- Caregiver national speakers series and faculty/postdoc interest group
- Fellows will become an active member of a mentored, sponsored, extramurally-funded research team
Distance & In-Residence Training
Our program offers two modes of training: in-residence and distance training via video conference. We are committed to making scientific training geographically accessible for all.
- Distance: Since the early 2000's, we have honed our live virtual-training through funding from NCI, NINR, and the John A. Hartford Foundation to educate and train nurse scientists regardless of where they live. Our faculty are highly experienced in building productive working relationships by engaging mentors and teams locally as well as across the country.
- In-Residence: As one of a handful of co-located research universities with a full academic medical center and comprehensive cancer center, fellows can have in-person and virtual access to a wide range of participant populations and scientific resources. While living here, fellows can walk out the door of the college and go hiking in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountain range or travel a short distance and visit the five national parks in Southern Utah.
I came to the University of Utah College of Nursing for the Post-Doctoral Fellowship because of the expertise of the mentors, their reputation, and the vast research resources that the College of Nursing and the university has—which propelled my academic and research career. I was able to maintain my community partnerships, while establishing national and international relationships that I typically would not able to do if it was not for this distance program.
-Siobhan Aaron, PhD, FNP-BC, MBA, 2019-2021 T32 Post-Doctoral Fellow & Rita and Hillman Award recipient “A Culturally Centered Prolonged Grief Group Therapy Intervention”
Premier Research Support
In addition to the grant-writing program and mentorship support, our postdoctoral fellows are supported by the Emma Eccles Jones Nursing Research Center.
This center is supported by a nine-person support team in three key areas:
• Applied Statistics
• Proposal Submission and Post-Award Support
• General Research Center Support
The center's staff are highly trained professionals who specialize in pre-and post-award support of extramural grant applications. Fellows are assigned to work one-on-one with a doctoral pre-award support staff member in preparing a grant submission (i.e. budget preparation, editing, document preparation). The center offers assistance with funding searches, statistical support, and post-award budgetary and regulatory management.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Application
Applications are now open for 2025-2026. Feel free to inquire.
Application Prerequisites
- Applicants should be either enrolled in or graduated from a research-focused doctoral program at the time of application
- All applicants to the postdoctoral program must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States
- Applicants must be in nursing or related field
- Visa sponsorship is not available for this program
Application Materials
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Research and professional statement (limited to three pages) that includes:
- Describe your career goals
- Describe your professional research and commitment to health equity
- Identify research goals for the training period and how they match the opportunities available
- Identify potential mentor or mentors and provide a rationale for your selection
- Two letters of reference that address your skills and potential as a nurse scientist. If you are within five years of completing your dissertation, one reference should be from the chair of your Supervisory Committee. Send references to emilee.cluff@nurs.utah.edu.
My post-doctoral training at the University of Utah College of Nursing is the best investment that I have made in my career. Exposure to a university with deep methodological expertise and content has allowed me to obtain grant funding and launch my own mixed method research study during my second year. I cannot recommend working with the compassionate, supportive expert researcher team there enough.
-Lorinda A. Coombs, PhD, FNP-BC, AOCNP, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Nursing
Contact Us
Lee Ellington
Co-Director
lee.ellington@nurs.utah.edu
Emilee Cluff
Program Manager
emilee.cluff@nurs.utah.edu