The ASTRO Medical Student Fellowship Award (formerly the Minority Summer Fellowship Award) introduces medical students from backgrounds that are under-represented in medicine to the discipline of radiation oncology early in their medical education. For the purposes of this program, races and ethnicities that have been identified as URM include but are not limited to American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.

In an effort to promote radiation oncology as a career choice, the fellowship will expose students to clinical, basic and translational research questions in radiation oncology. All MSF awardees will participate in collaborative research projects, receive expert advice from dedicated mentors, build professional networks with peers and radiation oncology professionals, and gain skills that will help them advance in their academic and professional careers.

Two different research tracks are described below (there is no established quota for these tracks; awards are granted based on criteria that do not including filling a certain number of spots in each track):

• The Clinical Research Fellowship is designed to expose medical students to the discipline of radiation oncology and to enhance skills in clinical research in radiation therapy. At least one clinical research project will be identified in advance with the help of the mentor. Consideration should be made for potential delays created by IRB review of the project application.
• The Basic Science Research Fellowship is designed to further the candidate’s knowledge in radiation or tumor biology, physics or molecular science as they relate to radiation oncology. The candidate will spend one day a week in the clinical setting; the remaining four days will be dedicated to lab research. The research project must be identified in advance with the help of the mentor. 

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)