Center for Machine Learning and Health

Frequently Asked Questions and Policies

Does the CMLH Fellowship prioritize projects that will be commercialized?

The primary goal of the CMLH Fellowship is to fund early term scientific research with potential for high impact in digital healthcare. While near-term commercializability can be one route to impact, the proposed research does not have to have commercializable components. Scientific contributions are more valued.

Does the project have to use machine learning?

No. The CMLH Fellowship is agnostic as to technology and method. It should use computation and push methodological boundaries.

Do I need collaborators in UPMC?

No. You do not need to have collaborators in UPMC.

Do I have to be a Carnegie Mellon University student?

Yes. The CMLH Fellowship is only for full-time Ph.D. students at CMU.

Is the fellowship transferable, if, for example, a student leaves or changes advisor?

No. The fellowship program funds students for the specific project that was submitted to the CMLH. The student’s accomplishments were an integral part of the review, and fellowships cannot be transferred.

I am a faculty member, and I have a project that I think would be a good fit. Unfortunately, I do not have a student. Can I submit to the fellowship program?

No. The fellowship program funds students, not projects.

I am a faculty member, and I advise more than one student. Can I submit a letter of recommendation for each of my students who is applying?

A faculty member may supply a letter of support for at most one applicant.

Applications for the 2024 Fellowships in Digital Health Innovation are OPEN!

What are the requirements of a CMLH fellow?

  • The student is responsible for the requirements of the fellowship and must notify the CMLH if a change in status or project direction occurs.
  • Must be a full-time Ph.D. student working on a project related to digital health at CMU for the duration of the fellowship.
  • Provide your photo, project title and project summary to be placed on the CMLH 2023 Fellows website.
  • Fellows consent to the CMLH to use their photo, project title and project summary at the discretion of the CMLH including, but not limited to, social media posts.
  • Allow sharing of your project title and project summary with UPMCE and other potential CMLH sponsors. 
  • Submit a progress report after 6 and 12 months of funding to the CMLH.
  • Project summaries, progress reports and presentation slides should not include proprietary information.  
  • Fellows are expected to follow university intellectual property (IP) and research policies.
  • Present the research at a CMLH seminar series during or following the term of the fellowship. Fellows must present at a public event hosted by the CMLH. Invitees to the event will be at the discretion of the CMLH.
  • Provide your CV, project summary and presentation slides to CMLH and allow the CMLH to share these materials with our sponsor, UPMCE.
  • The fellow should endeavor to attend various CMLH seminars and social/virtual events.
  • Acknowledge the CMLH in any of your publications related to the CMLH-funded work and send the CMLH any of the papers that result.
  • Fellows must abide by and uphold the community standards of the university.
  • The student must be in good standing in their Ph.D. program for the duration of the fellowship.
  • Fellowships are nontransferable between students. If a fellowship recipient leaves the program prior to completing their 12-month term, any remaining fellowship funding is retained by the CMLH.
  • Students who are awarded a CMLH fellowship and their faculty advisor(s) may be asked to review proposals in future rounds of CMLH funding.

Failure to submit the 6 and 12 month progress reports on time or attend the meetings will result in the termination of the fellowship.

In addition, you must be primarily engaged in research on your main fellowship topic physically at CMU during the times you are supported as a fellow. This prohibits significant outside jobs or consulting arrangements. You can take a short internship or a visiting research opportunity (in most cases, during the summer). However, you cannot be supported by the CMLH fellowship for these periods.

When does the fellowship start? Is there any flexibility?

Once the fellows are selected, we can adjust the start and end date of the fellowship by some amount if necessary to accommodate different fellows’ situations. Please contact the fellowship coordinator to learn more. Generally, the fellowship period needs to start either in summer 2024 or the start of the fall 2024 semester.

Can I spread the fellowship funds out over longer than one year?

Possibly. This is considered on a case-by-case basis. Generally, summer internships are a valid reason to extend the end date. Most other reasons are not.

Who controls the $3,000 discretionary funds?

The student who is awarded the fellowship. These are fellowship awards, not project awards. The student is the PI, and the student should manage the funds. The funds must be used for research-related expenses and expenditures must be approved by the business manager of the fellow’s department, and the expenditure of these funds must follow all university rules and procedures.