BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

Research in the medical sciences provides a firm foundation for improving human health. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is committed to fostering the development of the next generation of academic medical scientists. By providing funding to help bridge the gap between the postdoctoral and early faculty years, BWF hopes to bolster the careers of the most promising up and coming scientists. But BWF’s support doesn’t stop with its funding. Through biennial meetings and mentoring networks, BWF helps provide vital career advice to give scientists, early in their careers, the information they need to be successful.

BWF is interested particularly in supporting investigators who will bring novel ideas and new approaches to translational research. Proposed activities may draw on recent advances in the basic biomedical sciences—including such fields as biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, and pharmacology—that provide a wealth of opportunities for studying and alleviating human disease. For the purposes of BWF’s award, translational research may involve studies in these broad areas: etiology, pathogenesis, and mechanisms of disease (particularly studies with direct application to disease prevention and treatment); clinical knowledge, improved diagnosis (including development of new biomarkers, diagnostic methods, or devices), natural history of disease, and biomedical informatics -this includes the use of large clinical and genomic datasets for the purpose of generating and testing hypotheses; disease management (including therapeutics aimed at molecular targets), molecular epidemiology, and limited small-scale clinical studies involving ‘first-in-humans’ testing of novel approaches.

In recognition of the vital role such cross-trained scientists will play in furthering biomedical science, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund has made a major investment in the training (through our Institutional Awards at the Scientific Interface program) and support of young investigators (through our Career Awards at the Scientific Interface program) with backgrounds in the physical, chemical, or computational sciences whose work addresses biological questions and who are dedicated to pursuing a career in academic research.