Home
Office

CRTEC

Pathfinder Office
Contact Us

A Grant of One’s Own: A Mentored Approach to Independent Funding

A Grant of One’s Own is a collaborative, interactive grant-writing course designed to help you develop a complete, competitive research proposal by the end of the program. This course guides you step-by-step through the process of preparing your first proposal and lays the foundation for future funding success. This course is targeted toward Harvard-affiliated cancer-focused postdocs, clinical fellows, and instructors (MD, MD-PhD, or PhD) whose research translates novel scientific discoveries into clinical testing, including early-phase clinical trials. Throughout your participation, you will be guided step-by-step through the process of preparing your first proposal and will lay the foundation for future funding success. 

Offered annually between January - June, this course is designed and facilitated by our dedicated Curriculum Team as a cornerstone resource for the development of your research career. 

  • This course is offered free of charge for Harvard-affiliated cancer-focused postdocs, clinical fellows and instructors with MDs, MD-PhDs and PhDs whose research translates novel scientific discoveries into clinical testing, including early-phase clinical trials.
  • View the 2027 course syllabus. 
  • Certificate of completion is available upon successful completion of the course.
  • This course does not provide CME or other formal academic credit.

Course Features:

  • Flipped Classroom Format: Access curated materials and resources outside of class. Scheduled group meetings focus on discussion, feedback, and moving your project forward.
  • Small Groups with Peer Collaboration, Guided by Mentors: Each participant is matched with a small group of peers. Faculty mentors from across the Harvard Cancer Consortium facilitate sessions where you work together, offering each other feedback and critique as you build your proposal draft by draft.
  • Supportive Community: Develop a network of peers and mentors to share ideas, provide feedback, and grow together – fostering relationships that support your long-term success.
  • Mock Study Section: At the course’s conclusion, your proposal will be reviewed as part of a mock study section. Listen in as mentors discuss and provide feedback on your grant – giving you invaluable insights into the review process.
     

2027 Course Application(opens in new window)

Testimonial

"A Grant of One's Own gave me the structure and confidence to develop my first independent grant application. The mock review session was a particular highlight — it gave us a real window into how proposals are evaluated, what reviewers actually focus on, and the feedback was remarkably professional and constructive. I also stayed in touch with several of the course's mentors — senior, accomplished investigators who were remarkably approachable — long after the course ended. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to any early-career researcher considering an independent research career."

- Jiehui Chen, PhD, Research Fellow, Spring 2026 Participant

  • Course Contacts

    For questions about your research and course eligibility and/or choosing a target grant: 

    David Spriggs, MD, Course Director, A Grant of One’s Own, Professor in Residence, Medicine, Harvard Medical School 

    Oladapo Yeku, MD, PhD, Assistant Course Director, A Grant of One’s Own, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School 

    For questions about the course curriculum and Canvas: 

    Jelena Patrnogić, PhD, Curriculum Lead, Lecturer on Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, Director of Graduate Cancer Biology Education at Harvard Medical School 

    For questions for a former course participant:

    Jiehui (Jay) Chen, PhD, Research Fellow, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    For general course administration questions:

    Liz Salomon, EdM, Senior Program Manager, HCC Pathfinder