Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fund for Women Scientists in Cancer Research

Overview

In 2000, the estate of Sallie Rosen Kaplan established The Sallie Rosen Kaplan Postdoctoral Fellowship for Women Scientists in Cancer Research (SRK Fellowship).

Mrs. Kaplan was deeply committed to education. A graduate of a Weehawken, New Jersey high school, she was accepted at the University of Michigan, but was unable to enroll and attend because of family responsibilities. Although she was never able to pursue her own dreams of higher education, she was committed to the education of her family members and especially of women. With this passion, Mrs. Kaplan helped support biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health.

The SRK Fellowship is a highly competitive, unpaid, annual, one-year program that provides additional mentoring opportunities, networking, seminars and workshops to female National Cancer Institute (NCI) postdoctoral fellows to help them prepare for the competitive job market and help them to transition to independent research careers. Underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

The program addresses the fact that, based on recent observational, longitudinal and intervention studies, women in science are significantly more likely to leave the science field earlier than men, specifically at the transition from a mentored scientist to an independent investigator.

The highlight of this selective program is a 30-week course entitled “Career Building for Women in Science,” which includes two day-long workshops. Following each day-long session, Fellows will have an opportunity to network with the facilitator in a two-hour, bi-weekly meeting (for 14 weeks). The SRK Fellowship also includes mentoring opportunities with successful women scientists from government, industry and academia, as well as seminars on relevant topics such as networking, managing people, time management and how to promote yourself. This rewarding program involves an extensive time commitment, not only during the course/activity time, but also throughout the year-long fellowship.

For more information, please read this 2023 Impact Report: Investing in Emerging Women Researchers