Strauss Fellowships in Medicine, Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Open to: ABDs and junior academics in all disciplines

Application Deadline: December 10, 2021

The newly inaugurated Cedars-Sinai Center for Medicine, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (MHGS) invites applications for Strauss Fellowships from early-career scholars: ABDs, postdocs and assistant professors (or the equivalent professional stage). Made possible through the generosity of Dr. Franklin Strauss, these Fellowships support scholarship addressing the intersection of healthcare and medicine with the Holocaust, other genocides or mass violence, broadly conceived (incl. systemic racism and colonialism). Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the Center, this call is open to scholars studying relevant topics through any number of fields, including, but not limited to, history, genocide studies, sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science, international relations, ethics, journalism and medicine.

MHGS is situated within the Cedars-Sinai Program in the History of Medicine (PHM), a dynamic and collegial unit that comprises seven research-active core faculty and hosts regular academic programming. Our affiliation with the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Division of Graduate Research Education, at Cedars-Sinai Medicine Center places Strauss Fellows on the campus of a major non-profit medical institution that houses academic enterprises and a hospital that consistently ranks among the leaders in the United States. Applications are therefore especially welcome from scholars whose projects would benefit from the Strauss Fellows' presence in a contemporary medical center. 

Strauss Fellowships are one OR two months in duration, with flexible start and end dates, and each provides $4,000 in funding per month for ABDs and $5,000 per month for early career scholars. They also provide a maximum of $1,000 to offset travel and transportation expenses. The outstanding candidates chosen as Fellows will receive Cedars-Sinai library privileges, which provide access to the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, and, through an agreement with the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research, Fellows will have full access to the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive, containing over 55,000 video testimonies, when visiting the nearby USC campus. Strauss Fellowships offer ample time for research and require only that Fellows contribute to the intellectual life of MHGS and PHM and deliver a public lecture about their scholarship. Their presence and their work will help set the direction of the Center for Medicine, Holocaust and Genocide Studies as this new scholarly endeavor takes shape. 

With this call for applications, MHGS is seeking Strauss Fellows for TWO distinct timespans:

1. February - mid-August 2022
2. Mid-August 2022 - mid-August 2023

You may apply to one OR both of those options. Please identify in your cover letter the Fellowship period(s) for which you wish to be considered.

Required Qualifications:

• Engagement in research on a topic that addresses both healthcare/medicine and the Holocaust, other genocides or mass violence, broadly conceived. The topic may focus on precursors to events, the events themselves, the aftermath of events or a combination thereof. Period, location and discipline are open.

Essential Duties:

• Continue research and/or writing with the goal of publication
• Attend the scheduled events of the Center for Medicine, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Program in the History of Medicine
• Engage in the intellectual life of the Program in the History of Medicine
• Deliver a public lecture about your research

TO APPLY:

Applications with the following required materials should be submitted in electronic form with the subject line "MHGS Strauss Fellowship Application" to esther.olivo@cshs.org:  

• Cover Letter (please indicate the desired Fellowship duration and the Fellowship period for which you wish to be considered: one OR two months; February to mid-August 2022 AND/OR Academic Year 2022-2023)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Project Statement about the project to be pursued while holding a Strauss Fellowship (not more than 750 words)
• Name and email addresses of two references who have agreed to write on the candidate's behalf (please include this information in the text of your submission email)