The Summer Student Fellowships Program supports students, specifically advanced undergraduates and medical students, in their pursuit of Parkinson's-related summer research projects. The goal of the Parkinson's Foundation Summer Student Fellowships is to cultivate students' early interest in helping to solve, treat and end Parkinson's and providing the tools they need to transition into leaders in the field.
Fellows work under the close supervision of a sponsor who is an expert in the Parkinson's community and oversees the project.
We offer summer fellowships for 10 weeks of clinical or laboratory work with a $4,000 award. We invite fellows to apply for up to $1,000 in travel funds to attend a related scientific conference to present their research upon project completion. The award supports the student's summer research, defraying tuition costs of research credits or supplementing living or housing costs.
This award may be taxable; the Parkinson's Foundation sends an IRS form 1099 to the recipient at the end of the calendar year.
High-scoring proposals directly advance:
PD pathogenesis mechanisms
Therapeutic development (drug, device, neuromodulation)
Disease progression / neuroprotection
Biomarkers (fluid, imaging, digital)
Cognition, mood, and neuropsychiatric symptoms
Gait, balance, and falls
Sleep, autonomic symptoms
Health equity & access to care
Patient-centered quality-of-life research
❗ Generic movement disorder or general neurodegeneration projects must strongly justify PD relevance.
Each PF award is designed for a specific stage and purpose:
| Mechanism | Ideal Candidate | Strong Predictors |
|---|---|---|
| Postdoctoral Fellowships | Trainees in PD research | Strong mentorship + feasibility |
| Early-Career Investigator Awards | Junior faculty | Preliminary data + PD independence |
| Impact Awards | New ideas | High innovation + rapid feasibility |
| Clinical Research Awards | Clinician-scientists | Access to PD cohorts + measurable outcomes |
| Community Grants | Programs serving PwP | Patient impact & sustainability |
Predictor: Align career stage + scope + expected outcomes with the right funding line.
PF strongly prioritizes ideas that change lives, including:
New symptomatic or disease-modifying therapies
Digital health monitoring & telehealth
Behavioral interventions improving mobility or cognition
Models enabling translation to clinic
Interdisciplinary strategies (engineering, AI, rehab science)
Predictor: Show how your work will improve patient outcomes within the foreseeable future.
Especially important for Investigator and Impact Awards:
Pilot data demonstrating feasibility
Early mechanistic or therapeutic signal
Reliable access to PD biospecimens or datasets
Analytics validated in small patient/animal studies
Predictor: Preliminary data significantly increases competitiveness.
High-impact proposals leverage:
Parkinson’s Outcomes Project data
PD GENEration or genetic cohorts
Imaging and biospecimen repositories
Clinical trial networks
Movement disorder clinics with recruitment capacity
Predictor: Human relevance = strong review scores.
Reviewers expect:
Mentor with strong PD expertise & funding record
Structured training plan and regular contact
Protected research time
Institutional support for independence
Predictor: Mentorship quality is one of the highest-weighted criteria in trainee programs.
PF is highly stakeholder-driven:
Outcomes meaningful to People with Parkinson’s (PwP)
Engagement of patient advisory groups
Practicality and real-world translation plans
Clear metrics for functional benefit (e.g., falls, fatigue, speech)
Predictor: Patient voice must be prominent.
Strengthens both scientific rigor and clinical feasibility:
Neurologists + neuroscientists + rehab/engineering
Multi-site clinical studies
Partnerships with PD consortia and data networks
Predictor: Collaboration boosts reviewer confidence and impact.
Best-performing proposals have:
2–3 straightforward aims
Measurable milestones
Statistical analysis plans
Go/no-go criteria and backup strategies
Fit within funding period (often 1–2 years)
Predictor: Feasibility and clarity = top scoring category.
High-scoring PF proposals are:
Well-structured
Supported by visual preliminary data
Explicit about significance, milestones, and impact
Easy for clinicians and scientists to evaluate
Predictor: Strong communication improves enthusiasm and scoring.
| Predictor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| PD-specific significance | Core eligibility |
| Mechanism alignment | Ensures reviewers see correct scope |
| Innovation + patient relevance | Central priority |
| Preliminary data | Demonstrates feasibility |
| Access to PD cohorts/models | Human relevance |
| Strong mentorship/environment | Execution confidence |
| Patient-centered design | Mission alignment |
| Collaboration | Increases rigor and deliverability |
| Focused aims | Realistic progress |
| Clear writing | Helps maximize reviewer scores |
Undergraduate students and medical students are eligible for summer fellowships. Each applicant must show a mentor with whom he or she will conduct the proposed project. This program is open to national and international applicants.
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Parkinson's Foundation
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: 1359 Broadway, Ste 1509, New York, NY 10018, USA
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Jan 26, 2026
Jan 26, 2026
$5,000
Affiliation: Parkinson's Foundation
Address: 1359 Broadway, Ste 1509, New York, NY 10018, USA
Website URL: https://www.parkinson.org/advancing-research/for-researchers/fellowships-early-career-awards#SummerFellowships
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.