NCI Immunotherapy Fellowship

A one-year visiting fellowship at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) beginning July 2027.
Application period: July 7–Aug. 18, 2026

Submit an Application


Co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and made possible in part by an educational grant from EMD Serono.

One Year at NCI Center for Cancer Research Begins July 2027

Application Period: July 7–Aug. 18, 2026

Eligibility Criteria

  • Able to relocate to Bethesda, MD, for the duration of the fellowship
  • Completed a previous fellowship in Medical Oncology, Hematology, Pediatric Oncology, Radiation Oncology, or Surgical Oncology
  • Open to U.S. and non-U.S. medical school graduates (the latter requires ECFMG certification and completion of USMLE Step 1, 2, and 3)
  • Have or be fully eligible for a medical license from any of the United States or Washington, D.C.
  • Strong interest in learning about immunotherapy
  • Preference is given to those with an academic interest 

Benefits

  • Provides opportunities to understand how to design, write, and run clinical trials, how to treat patients, how to manage toxicities, as well as opportunities to work with multiple experimental agents
  • Work with internationally recognized experts in immunotherapy
  • Learn management of immune-related adverse events
  • Develop experience in writing and running immunotherapy clinical trials
  • Develop experience with a wide array of immunotherapy approaches
    • Cellular therapy (e.g., CAR-T or TCR transgenic approaches)
    • Combination immunotherapy approaches
    • Immune checkpoint inhibitors
    • Immunocytokines
    • Therapeutic vaccines
  • Possibilities for attending and presenting at national/international meetings
  • Attend and participate in regularly scheduled NIH immunotherapy conferences
  • Make a difference in the lives of patients with cancer at the largest hospital in the world devoted solely to research
  • Salary is based on applicable laws, regulations, and policies


Application Period Closes Aug. 18, 2026

To apply, applicants must submit the following via email to education@sitcancer.org:

  1. Curriculum vitae
  2. Statement of purpose
    • Please tell us why you are interested in this fellowship in 500 words or less. Please include:
      • A description of your research interests and goals and how these relate to cancer immunotherapy clinical trials and clinical trial development.
      • A description of your career path up to this point, as well as insight into your short- and long-term goals, and how this fellowship will help you achieve those goals.
  3. Three personal references
    • Three current and original letters of reference must be submitted by individuals in the scientific/academic community who have knowledge of your scientific accomplishments, motivation, and skills.
  4. Documentation of board eligibility status or certification status
    • For foreign medical graduates, ECFMG certification and USMLE Step 1, 2, and 3 must be completed.

Applicants will be notified via email of their application's acceptance or decline within 10 weeks of the application deadline.

Award recipient will be acknowledged during SITC 2026.  

Fellowship term begins July 2027 at the Cancer Center for Research in Bethesda, Maryland.


Previous Recipients

Discover previous recipients of the NCI Immunotherapy Fellowship here.

Questions?

If you have questions about the SITC-NCI Fellowship, please contact the SITC Education team.

NCI Fellowship PDF

For more information regarding the 2026 SITC-NCI Fellowship Application,
click here.