Research Fund

Medical Faculty Women's Association

University of Southern California

v Research Fund v

A Brief History

The USC Medical Faculty Women's Research Fund was officially created in 1987 with the goal of providing small grants for women researchers in the basic and clinical sciences on the USC Health Sciences Campus. As the brainchild of several members of its parent organization, the USC Medical Faculty Women's Association (MFWA), the fund is intended to help women faculty members fill gaps in their research support that are inevitable in today's competitive funding market. Contributions have exceeded $75,000, allowing awards to 35 investigators, beginning with the first two $2000 grants awarded in 1989. In 1994, an endowment fund was established in honor of the late G. June Marshall, who served as the first Associate Dean of Women for the School of Medicine.

Fund-raising for the MFWA Research Fund is conducted by the USC Development Office in consultation with a distinguished Board of Directors. The Board of Directors sponsors an annual reception to honor donors, which in past years has featured speakers such as noted primatologist Jane Goodall, geneticist and physician French Anderson, author Mary Catherine Bateson, and historian/author Lois Banner.

Proposals from applicants for MFWA Research funding are reviewed for scientific merit by USC faculty members who are selected by a scientific review board for expertise in the applicant's field of study. Funding is competitive, and approximately 30% of applicants are successful. Many MFWA Research Fund awardees have used the funds to collect data to support successful applications for funding from the National Institutes of Health, or other outside agencies. These individuals credit the fund for providing the competitive edge needed for more substantial grants, and equally important, for promoting their overall professional development.

MFWA Research Fund Application