Fellowship Programs

Fellowship Programs and Opportunities at the Schaeffer Center

The Schaeffer Center is committed to training the next generation of health economists and researchers.  A variety of fellowships and training opportunities are available for researchers at various stages in their careers.  Learn about current staff and faculty openings on this page.

Funding for Pilot Programs

  • The USC Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab (CTRL) | The USC Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab (CTRL) is an interdisciplinary hub for piloting and evaluating innovative ideas with the potential to increase access to clinical trials and expand diversity in clinical trial populations. CTRL is seeking proposals for pilot projects that test strategies and solutions designed to address barriers to recruitment for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials, with a special focus on enabling the recruitment of populations that have been underrepresented in clinical research. The successful proposed pilot will test concepts for accelerating recruitment that, if successful, can be scaled to various clinical and community settings. Applications for the CTRL program are currently open for the 2023-2024 cycle. More information about the application process is here.
  • USC Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Health Economics Research | The USC Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (USC AD-RCMAR), funding by the NIH, was established to increase the number, diversity and academic success of junior faculty focusing their research on the health and economic wellbeing of minority elderly populations. The program provides mentorship to USC AD-RCMAR scholars in multidisciplinary training, launching new lines of research, and tracking and evaluating success of pilot investigations.  Applications for the USC AD-RCMAR program are currently closed for the 2022-2023 cycle. More information about the application process is here.
  • Center for Advancing Sociodemographic and Economic Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (CeASES-ADRD) | The USC Center for Advancing Sociodemographic and Economic Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (CeASES-ADRD), accepts applications annually to fund one-year research pilot projects. Applications from scholars at all stages of their research careers interested in social science research related to ADRD are invited to apply. Applications for the 2023-2024 cycle are currently open. More information can be found here.
  • Roybal Center for Behavioral Interventions in Aging | The Roybal Center for Behavioral Interventions in Aging accepts proposals annually for pilot projects that involve randomized controlled trials (RCTs). If approved for funding by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the pilots would receive support for one year. Applications from senior and junior researchers from academic and research institutions focused on the consequences of current patterns of practice and the development of interventions that will improve care delivery, the quality of care, and its value to aging adults are encouraged. Applications for the 2023-2024 cycle are currently open. More information can be found here.

Fellowship Opportunities

  • Alzheimer’s Trial Recruitment Innovation Lab (ATRIL) Fellowship Program
    Funded by the American Heart Association as part of a Strategically-Focused Research Network (SFRN) on the Science of Diversity in Clinical Trials, the Alzheimer’s Trial Recruitment Innovation Lab (ATRIL) is now accepting applications for a fellow to join the program in the fall of 2023. This 2-year program, in collaboration with the USC Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute and Howard University, is designed to train and develop the next generation of researchers interested in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias clinical trials through a multidisciplinary, active and team-based learning approach. For more information and to apply, click here.
  • Postdoctoral Fellowships
    Postdoctoral researchers at the Schaeffer Center focus completely on research, with no teaching requirement. This select group of scholars evenly splits time during the first year on completing their dissertation and collaborating on a new Schaeffer Center research project. Postdocs are considered full members of the Schaeffer Center community, receive one-on-one mentoring and also have access to all faculty associated with the center.  For more information and to apply, click here.
  • Pre-doctoral Fellowships
    Pre-doctoral economics students in the graduate certificate program in health economics conduct research at the Schaeffer Center under the guidance of a faculty member, earning knowledge and expertise relevant to their upcoming doctoral program. For more information and to apply, click here.
  • Clinical Fellowships
    The Clinical Fellows program fosters collaboration between Schaeffer Center faculty and exceptional junior scholars or prominent researchers and thought leaders in health policy, economics and medicine.
    For more information and to apply to the clinical fellows program, email Briana Taylor at Brianawh@usc.edu, or Sarah Axeen, PhD, at axeen@usc.edu.

Additional Opportunities

  • Peter G. Peterson Foundation Pandemic Response Policy Research Fund
    The fund supports research that advances our understanding of the short and long-run impact of public policies implemented in response to the pandemic. Learn more about the program here.
  • Science of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) for Social Scientists Program
    This program consists of a two-day series of lectures by national biomedical experts on ADRD. The purpose is to expose both junior and more advanced social scientists interested in pursuing research in the ADRD field to the biomedical foundations of the diseases, with the ultimate goal of expanding knowledge and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations. For more information and how to apply, visit the program page.
  • Research Assistantships
    Students from relevant disciplines such as economics, public policy, health policy, statistics, medicine and psychology work directly with Schaeffer Center faculty on specific research projects, garnering invaluable experience and skills to further their research prowess. Any USC student without a fellowship is eligible to apply for a research assistantship.

For more information and to apply to the research assistant position, email Briana Taylor at Brianawh@usc.edu or Erin Duffy at Erin.Duffy@usc.edu.