FINANCES

ERC TRAINEESHIP AWARDS

Traineeship awards consisting of partial financial assistance in the form of tuition, stipend, registration fee, health fee, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield hospital insurance are available on a competitive basis to qualified individuals undertaking approved training programs in occupational medicine, occupational health nursing, industrial hygiene, hazardous substances, occupational epidemiology, occupational health services, and occupational injury prevention. Awards are offered through the Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health (ERC) at Harvard.

To maintain eligibility for the award, trainees must meet the academic standards of the School as stated in the current Official Register and must engage in an appropriately planned occupational safety and health program (see the curricula section of this handbook). Compliance with requirements of the Registrar, the Student Financial Aid Office, and the Harvard ERC is also expected.

An appointment under a U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) training grant may not be held concurrently with any other Federal educational award that provides a stipend or otherwise duplicates financial provisions, with the exception of Veterans Administration Benefits (GI Bill). Loans from Federal funds are not considered Federal awards.

Tuition and health insurance awards appear as credits in student accounts. Paperwork for tuition awards is usually completed during the summer so that students may enroll without hindrance in the fall.

Tuition awards are made for a specific number of course credits. The cost of course credits beyond the specified or required curriculum is the responsibility of the student. For example a full-tuition scholarship for the MPH degree pays for 42.5 credits. Credits beyond that number will be paid for by the student. All students should be very sure about what their scholarships cover by checking with their advisor and with Lynn NeJaime.

If a tuition deposit has been made by a student prior to registration and a full tuition award has been granted, the deposit is refundable to the student. To obtain reimbursement, complete the required form at the School's Financial Aid Office ( 708 Huntington Avenue ). The refund check will be sent by mail.

All students are automatically enrolled in the Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance plan, but may submit a waiver during matriculation if they have comparable medical insurance.

UHS fee is mandatory for all students registered for more than 10 credits each semester. Part-time students taking 10 or fewer credits may waive this fee and this coverage if on-line waiver form is completed prior to October 31 st for fall, and April 30 th for spring.

Awarded postdoctoral fellows apply for health insurance at the EOME Administrative Office, SPH1-1402. Health insurance outside the one provided by the University ( UHS , BC /BS) is not reimbursed.

Doctoral candidates and residents finishing their first year are granted a three-week paid vacation during the summer. Residents in occupational and environmental medicine must take their vacation between graduation day and June 30th. The dates of the vacation should be reported in writing to the administrator and the student's advisor. This vacation time is in addition to holiday periods observed during the academic year.

Any publications related to projects undertaken while holding an ERC traineeship should bear the acknowledgment below. Seven copies should be given to the administrator.

Supported by the Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health CDC/NIOSH grant award T42/OH008416 at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Questions concerning ERC traineeship awards should be addressed to Ms Jean Economos (Building I, Room 1402, 432-2422) or to Kathryn Austin, Director of Financial Aid (Kresge Building, Room G4, 432-1989).

OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIANS SCHOLARSHIP FUND (OPSF)

Each year the Occupational Physicians Scholarship Fund (OPSF) awards scholarships to physicians enrolled in occupational medicine residency programs. Applicants may seek funding for training in the Harvard ERC Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency, which is approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Applications are reviewed by a committee appointed by the OPSF Board of Trustees. Awards include a stipend based on NIOSH/NIH (post-graduate year) guidelines administered by the residency program, and an allowance of up to $500 to attend the American Occupational Health Conference (Spring) or the ACOEM State-of-the-Art Conference (Fall). Scholarships are recommended based upon academic and professional accomplishments and stated career objectives, in accordance with equal opportunity principles.

The application deadline for 2009-2010 is November 1, 2008. Notification of scholarship awards will be mailed before or on December 15, 2008. For an application form and additional information regarding the OPSF, see Ms Backus.

Applications and information are available on the OPSF website. URL: www.opsf.org .

SIMMONS COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE

Students enrolled in the Occupational Health Nursing program may seek assistance from the Simmons College Financial Aid Office at 521-2036.

Tuition support is available through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Application for financial aid should be made at the time of application to the program.

STIPENDS

Awarded students receive the monthly stipends on the first of the month starting September 1 for newcomers and July 1 for OEM first-year residents and continuing students.

Post-doctoral research fellows and second year residents receive the monthly stipends at the end of the month.

Awarded students and fellows should sign up in PeopleSoft for direct deposit and local address updates. Please bear in mind that PeopleSoft is not compatible with the Safari browser on Macintosh computers. Firefox, Netscape browsers, and IE are all fine on all operating systems.

Peoplesoft can be accessed by first obtaining a PIN (http://www.pin.harvard.edu) and then logging onto HarvIE (http://www.harvie.harvard.edu) and clicking on the link at the top right labeled “PeopleSoft Access”. Once in PeopleSoft, the path is Home>Self-Service>Payroll and Compensation>Direct Deposit.

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

Post-doctoral awards are available for individuals seeking a research career in occupational health and safety areas such as epidemiology and injury prevention.

Support for injury related post-doctoral research is available via The Liberty Harvard Program in Occupational Safety and Health, and in other areas (e.g. epidemiology) from NIH training grants or faculty research grants. For more information, contact Dr. David Christiani.

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