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Financial Support
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The BCSDP will provide substantial financial support for all trainees. Funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is approximately commensurate with professional-level earnings. In addition, substantial support is provided for personnel assistance, equipment, supplies, and travel.
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Salary and Benefits
- The NIH recognizes that individuals who might be interested in the BCSDP are most likely to be established clinicians in clinical or academic-teaching careers with professional-level salaries. Consequently, such applicants would be able to commit to the full-time, 3-5 year BCSDP training program only if they could secure support commensurate with their current compensation. To achieve this goal, the NIH will provide competitive professional salaries — depending on previous training, research experience, professional appointments, and years since obtaining professional degrees.
- Trainees are also eligible for University of California health coverage.
Additional Support
- Research Support: With the approval of the trainee's Principal Mentor and the Program Director, additional funds will be available to support the individual's training activities, including lab supplies, equipment, patient costs and travel to scientific meetings.
- Loan Repayment Programs: Although the BCSDP provides substantial salary and benefits, some applicants may decide to seek additional support through institutional loans. Fortunately, the BCSDP qualifies for the NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs), which can repay up to $35,000 per year of qualified educational debt for health professionals pursuing careers in clinical, pediatric, contraception and infertility, or health disparities research. The programs also provide coverage for federal and state tax liabilities. Applicants must have a doctoral-level degree (MD, OD, PhD), devote 50% or more of their time to nonprofit or government-funded research, and have educational debt equaling at least 20% of their institutional base salary. For more information, see Loan Repayment Program.
Other Considerations
Applicants who are not residents of California should plan early to relocate and secure housing in the Berkeley-San Francisco Bay Area. The cost of living is high, and affordable housing in certain areas can sometimes be difficult to find. Fortunately, there are various housing resources, such as the UCB Faculty and Staff Housing Services.
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