2025 Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award

Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 5 // Tickets Available: 5

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) can nominate five applications for the Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award. 

For more information please contact: UACC-PreAward.

Purpose of Award 

The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award supports independent young physician-scientists conducting disease-oriented research that demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity. The goal is to support the best young physician-scientists doing work aimed at improving the practice of cancer medicine.

The Clinical Investigator Award responds to three recognized realities:

• Though there has never been a more pressing need or more promising time for clinical cancer research, fewer young physicians enter this area of investigation every year.
• The number of institutions committed to training young physicians in the scientific discipline and methodologies of clinical investigation is critically low.
• The burden of medical school debt (averaging over $100,000) discourages many physicians from pursuing clinical investigation.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation’s award offers solutions to these realities. The awardee will receive financial support for three years, as well as assistance with certain research costs such as the purchase of equipment. The Foundation will also retire up to $100,000 of any medical school debt still owed by the awardee.

The Clinical Investigator Award program is specifically intended to provide outstanding young physicians with the resources and training structure essential to becoming successful clinical investigators. The goal is to increase the number of physicians capable of moving seamlessly between the laboratory and the patient’s bedside in search of breakthrough treatments.

Eligibility

• The applicant must hold an independent Assistant Professor position or equivalent at a U.S. institution and is expected to demonstrate significant support from the home institution through a comprehensive start-up package, ample laboratory space, and protected research time, for example.
• The applicant must have received an MD, DO, or MD/PhD degree(s) from an accredited institution, completed their subspecialty training and be U.S. Board eligible.
• The applicant must hold a valid, active U.S. medical license at the time of application.
• The applicant must apply within the first five (5) years of their Assistant Professor or equivalent full faculty appointment (Cut-off date: July 1, 2020). Instructor, Adjunct and/or acting positions are not eligible.
• Candidates holding or awarded R01s (or R01-equivalent grants such as the DP2 and DP5) at the time of application are not eligible to apply.
• The applicant must commit to spending 80% of their time conducting research. [In rare unique circumstances, the CIA Committee may consider an applicant with a very modest reduction of 80% protected time if their Department Chair can provide a compelling reason explaining why a waiver of the 80% requirement should be granted, what percentage of effort will be guaranteed, and what safeguards will be put in place to make sure the individual’s research will not be compromised by their clinical/administrative activities.]
• The applicant is required to apply in conjunction with a Mentor who is established in the field of clinical translational cancer research, cancer prevention and/or epidemiology and can provide the critical guidance needed during the period of the award. No more than two Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators will be funded to work with the same Mentor at any given time (including Co-Mentors).
• Candidates may apply up to two times during this eligibility period.
• Only one application will be accepted from a Mentor per review session (including Co-Mentors).