Postdoctoral Fellowships FAQ

Details on how to apply and the deadlines for each fellowship are available on the Fellowship Page.

Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (DPET) offers industry-sponsored fellowships in Drug Development/Clinical Research, Global Drug Safety/Pharmacovigilance, Medical Affairs, Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics, Clinical Pharmacology, and Regulatory Affairs. Fellows will spend time at Allucent, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Certara, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, PPD, UCB, and United Therapeutics. Academic fellowships are offered in heart failure, HIV pharmacology, and oncology. A clinical pharmacology fellowship is also available through the T32 Postdoctoral Training program.

Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) offers a two-year fellowship in Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes Research. This fellowship provides the training and experience needed to successfully compete for positions as a health outcomes researcher in academia, consulting, or in the pharmaceutical industry. Throughout the two years of this fellowship, fellows will receive training through didactic courses in research methods, statistics, pharmacoepidemiology, outcomes research, and pharmaceutical policy. In addition, fellows will spend time at GlaxoSmithKline in the US Health Outcomes Research Department working with health outcomes researchers on various health economics and outcomes research projects.

Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education (PACE) offers an academic fellowship in educational development with the Pharmaceutical Care Lab. This academic fellowship helps promising professionals and scholars prepare for academic careers through postgraduate training in program development, teaching, scholarship, and practice.

More information about types of fellowships can be found here.

Most fellows are appointed for two years in DPET and DPOP, though some fellowships in PACE are one year. A third year of appointment in select fellowships may be possible.

The number of fellowships that are awarded can vary by fellowship program, fellowship type, and available funding.

Fellows go on to work in a range of professional areas, including academia, industry, and governmental regulatory agencies, including the NIH and FDA. Most DPET and DPOP industry-sponsored fellows obtained employment by sponsors upon conclusion of their fellowships, but this is not guaranteed. Most of the academic fellows take academic positions and focus heavily on teaching and research.

Informational sessions, webinars, and virtual interviews will be arranged through UNC and industry sponsors, the IPhO Annual Meeting (virtual), and the ACCP Annual Meeting. Potential candidates are encouraged, but not required, to attend these virtual meetings to meet with UNC faculty, fellows, alumni and sponsors. UNC will also arrange individual virtual interview sessions for selected candidates.

You may apply for a fellowship while you are still a student, but appointment is contingent on completion of your advanced degree from an accredited program prior to the beginning of your fellowship appointment. Ideal fellowship candidates will hold a PharmD, MD, or PhD from a U.S. institution. Residency training is preferred but not required, with one exception: the HIV Pharmacology Fellowship does require a residency. Ideal candidates will possess strong analytical skills, excellent written and verbal communication, good organizational abilities, and evidence of leadership and team work.

Your application should be to a type of fellowship, not to a particular company. For example, if you wish to focus on medical affairs, your application will be reviewed by UNC and by the companies that sponsor medical affairs fellowships. If you are offered a fellowship, we will notify you which company has extended an offer and where you will spend the first and second year of your fellowship.

Yes. In addition, the Bristol Meyers Squibb, Genentech, GSK, and Janssen fellowships may require relocation to the company’s facilities outside of North Carolina. The GSK sponsored Global Regulatory Affairs fellowship requires relocation to the company’s Collegeville, Pennsylvania campus for the full two years of the fellowship.

Compensation is competitive with other training programs and is similar to the NIH postdoctoral compensation guidelines. Appointments include funds for travel to one or two scientific meetings per year, support for professional development, health insurance, vacation and sick leave, and the option to enroll in additional UNC benefit programs. For more information on benefits, visit the UNC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (http://postdocs.unc.edu)

All fellows are UNC employees throughout their appointments. Fellows are required to abide by UNC and their sponsors’ confidentiality and employee-policy rules.

International scholars may apply to select fellowships, but preference in appointment will be granted to applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. We do not offer sponsorship of an H-1B visa in the event an international scholar is appointed. Our fellowships are training programs, and therefore we consider the J-1 to be the appropriate visa for international scholars. The T32 Postdoctoral Training Program does not accept international scholars.