The Graduate Fellowships Program was initiated in 1992 to help especially talented individuals develop the skills required for a successful career in biomedical engineering.

Among the findings of a survey of past and current fellows, thirty-five percent said that the fellowship helped them to attend a school that they might not have been able to attend otherwise. However, most said that they would have gone to graduate school and pursued biomedical engineering with or without the foundation's support.

Respondents made clear that the largest single benefit of the fellowship was that it allowed fellows to choose the research project and path that suited them best. Fellows also cited the benefit of the travel allowance to present papers at professional conferences. Nearly 90 percent said that this provided the opportunity to learn more about their own interests and broader issues in biomedical engineering, as well as to get acquainted with others in the field.

The majority of graduate fellows indicated they plan to continue a career in biomedical engineering. Eleven graduate fellows went on to earn research grants from the foundation.

Since the program began, a total of 414 fellowships have been awarded. This represents a total of more than $53 million.

Click here for a list of the most recent awardees.