David J. Riback Research Pre-doctoral Fellowships

The Riback program is intended for highly motivated PharmD students interested in a research career in biomedical sciences.

The David J. Riback Research Pre-doctoral Fellowships in the UIC College of Pharmacy are funded by an endowment created by Aaron E. Kaplan (Baccalaureate of Science in Pharmacy, 1947) in honor of his uncle, David (Graduate in Pharmacy, 1927). Funds from this endowment support intensive, short-term research training for PharmD students under the supervision of a College of Pharmacy faculty mentor.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The program runs during the summer between May 16 – August 15 and provides a stipend of $7,000 for the student and additional $1,000 to your mentor for supplies. Training includes hands-on research conducted in the laboratories or clinical practices of faculty members and additional research-related and enrichment activities coordinated with the SURF program.  Riback Fellows present their final research results in poster format during the SURF/Riback Minisymposium in early August and during the annual College of Pharmacy Research Day held in the first week of November.

Deadlines:

·         Letter of Intent (LOI): Monday, March 6, 2023

·         Full Application: Monday, March 20, 2023

·         Note: You must have approval from your mentor before you can submit the LOI

Eligibility:

·       All currently enrolled P1 and P2 students are eligible to apply. P3 students will be given consideration if they are not performing rotations during the summer Riback appointment

·         Previous research experience is not necessary

·         Both Undergraduate GPA & PharmD grades will be considered during the selection process

·         Students should have a strong desire to pursue research

·         Students are responsible for selecting a faculty mentor based on their research interests and future career goals

 General Research Areas in the College:

·         Medicinal chemistry, computational medicinal chemistry, structural biology, synthetic medicinal chemistry, design and synthesis of drugs

·         Natural products, drug discovery, medical ethnobotany, biochemical and molecular toxicology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, antibiotic resistance, bacterial communication

·         Cancer biology, cancer pharmacology, regulation of tumor cell growth, cancer drug discovery

·         Biopharmaceutics, design, development and evaluation of drug delivery systems, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics

·         Pharmacy practice, pharmacogenomics, clinical studies, medication compliance, economic, clinical and quality-of-life outcomes, pharmaceutical policy, socioeconomic and cultural issues related to drug use

Selecting a Mentor:

·         Browse College of Pharmacy areas of expertise to identify faculty members whose research interests you.

·         Discuss the research experience with former Riback Fellows

·         Visit poster presentations during the Research Day

·         Contact faculty members with whom you would like to work as soon as possible to find the best match

·         Contact riback@uic.edu if you need help

Application Process:

·         Submit the Letter of Intent (LOI) by 03/06/2023

·         Download the application form on our website

·         Submit the full application as a single PDF document to riback@uic.edu by 03/20/2023

·         Request that your mentor submits the letter of recommendation to riback@uic.edu by 03/20/2023

Full application consists of 4 components:

1.       Research project description (1 page)

2.       Student statement (1.5 page)

3.       Undergraduate & professional transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient

4.       Mentor statement/letter of recommendation (1 page)

QUESTIONS?

 Contact riback@uic.edu