Detweiler Travelling Fellowship: Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
1) What is the difference between Junior and Senior Detweilers? Which should I apply for?
Junior Detweilers are available to individuals who have been certified by the Royal College in a primary specialty within the past five years, or are in their final year of residency training. Senior Detweilers are available to individuals who have been Royal College certified for more than five years.
2) As a final-year resident, am I eligible to apply?
Applicants must be Fellows of the Royal College, or residents in the final year of their training who will be admitted to Royal College Fellowship prior to December 31 of the year following receipt of the Detweiler Fellowship. For example, if you receive a Detweiler in the November 2022 adjudication process, you would need to be a Royal College Fellow by December 31, 2023. The award will be conditional upon admission to Fellowship (including payment of membership dues). Fellowship must remain in good standing for the duration of the funded activity.
3) Is it required to have an established post-graduate training location already accepted?
It is ideal but not necessary. If a letter of acceptance is not available at the time of the application, the award will be conditional on provision of a letter. The acceptance letter should be provided as soon as it is received and will be added to your application package.
4) DTF form asks for a location of fellowship. How should this part be filled out?
This information is crucial to the application process, however if your center hasn’t yet be determined you can indicate this in the introduction letter. Please indicate when you anticipate confirmation of your acceptance.
5) Does the duration of my visit need to be defined in advance?
The Detweiler Fellowship is only applicable to visits of 3 to 12 months' duration; visits may be broken into separate time blocks but must be completed within two years. Longer visits are eligible, but will only be funded for a year.
6) I completed a fellowship recently. Can funds be applied retroactively to visits completed prior to the granting of the DTF?
No, the Detweiler Fellowship cannot be applied retroactively.
7) Can I apply for a Detweiler for a Master’s Degree?
Yes, Master’s programs are eligible for the Detweiler Fellowship as long as it meets the terms of the grant which are the following: the fellowship will enable the recipient to visit medical centres in Canada (other than their own) or abroad, to study or gain experience in the use or application of new knowledge or techniques or to further the pursuit of a project relevant to clinical practice or research.
8) Can I apply for a Detweiler for an on-line course?
Long distance or online training does not qualify for this fellowship. If a program includes both on-line and in-person components, the in-person component must be at least three months in duration.
Application Process
9) How do I apply for the DTF?
The call for applications will open in June and the deadline date is in September. You must complete the online application process in order for your application to be eligible. Applications submitted by mail or email will not be accepted.
10) When is a good time to apply for the DTF, especially if I start my program in the summer?
The 2024 cycle will open in June 2023. We will accept applications for activities that are taking place between July 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024.
11) Can I submit my application in French and/or a mix of English and French?
Yes, we accept bilingual applications and French applications. The tier one review process includes reviewers who can review in French. If your application is reviewed in the tier two portion of the adjudication, the French documents will be translated by our team of expert translators. Both versions, English and French, will be included in your application package for adjudication committee review. Unfortunately it is not possible for you to have access to the translated documents.
12) Can one apply for both a Regional Professional Development (RPD) Grant and a Detweiler grant simultaneously?
Yes, Fellows can apply for both the RAC PD grant and the Detweiler Fellowship grant.
Application Contents
13) What is the letter of introduction?
The letter of introduction is a cover letter which should provide a brief outline of your application package and planned travel. Please include an outline of the content of your application, and the focus, location and timeline of your Fellowship. The letter should be of no more than one page in length.
14) If the acceptance letter also includes a statement about institution financial support, is that okay?
Yes, this is acceptable; please indicate this information in the letter of introduction.
15) How do I send two reference letters? (Should my referees send the letters to me or directly to the Royal College?)
It is preferable that the reference letters be sent to you directly to be included in your application package, however if a referee feels strongly about sending the letter to the Royal College they can do so by sending it to the awards@royalcollege.ca email address. They must include your name and that the letter is in support of your Detweiler application.
16) Letters of Reference:
a. Can I submit more than 2 reference letters? (Is 2 the maximum and minimum?)
The adjudicating committee will only accept and review two reference letters; any additional letters will be removed from your application.
b. Must the letter come from people in my home institution or can it be from people at the Canadian University I previously trained at?
The letters can be from anyone of your choosing, however they must be a Fellow of the Royal College in good standing. You can determine if someone is a Fellow by consulting the Royal College Directory.
c. Do the letters have to be from active Fellows of the Royal College?
Yes, you can determine if someone is a Fellow by consulting the Royal College Directory.
17) If I have been accepted by the host institution but do not have the official letter of acceptance. Would a letter from me, stating their acceptance, suffice?
It would be ideal to submit your acceptance letter with your complete application; however the letter can also be sent separately via email to awards@royalcollege.ca. If you are the recipient of a grant, it would be conditional upon receipt of the acceptance letter from the host institution.
18) Is there a suggested word limit for the documents that outline the nature and purpose of my fellowship?
No, however we do ask to keep the document to a reasonable length (preferably two to five pages) as we do not want to overwhelm the adjudicating committee.
19) Can the documents that outline the details of my fellowship and future career plans be combined in the same letter?
It is preferable to provide the responses separately.
20) I have a mixed fellowship (clinical and research). Since I do not have a research project yet, can I list my learning goals for the research and state an intent of project without giving specific details?
Yes, you can certainly do so. Please provide as much information as possible to help the adjudicating committee fully understand your Fellowship and learning objectives.
21) Why are CVs restricted to 10 pages in length?
We ask that applicants submit a maximum 10-page CV in order to facilitate the review process for this very popular Travelling Fellowship. If you need to abbreviate your CV, focus the content on the activities most relevant to your proposed fellowship and future career goals.
Host and Home Institutions
22) What is the difference between a host and a home institution?
The home institution is the location you are currently attending or employed at the time of your application. The host institution is the location where you will be travelling to, and for which you are seeking funding.
23) Is a host institution required?
Yes. The host institution is the location of the Fellowship for which you are seeking funding.
24) Does having funding from my home or host institution make me ineligible to apply for the DTF?
Ensuring distribution of funding to applicants with high quality proposals, who might not otherwise be able to undertake their proposed fellowship, is an important objective of the Detweiler. As such, candidates who hold or will hold $100,000 CAD or more of funding for their fellowship will not be considered. Additionally, the income available to the applicant may be considered in the adjudication of applications of equal merit.
25) Who at my host institution is required to provide documentation?
The letter can be provided by any supervisor that can provide information regarding the financial support offered by the host institution.
26) Do host institutions need to specify funding amount provided each year?
Yes host and home institutions must specify the funding you will be receiving.
27) Does not having a letter from my host/home institution disqualify my application?
Yes, these letters are mandatory.
28) What is the acceptance letter?
The acceptance letter is provided by the host institution for the visit for which you are seeking funding. It confirms that you have been accepted into the program, it also confirms the locations, length and duration of the program and may also provide financial details such as remuneration.
29) If I am no longer affiliated with my home institution (as I complete residency), what should I provide as a financial letter of support for the home institution?
You do not need to provide a letter from a home institution if you are not employed or enrolled in a residency program.
30) If I am not practicing at the moment but job hunting. I therefore do not have a home institution. Can I still apply for the grant?
Yes, you can still apply for the Royal College grants. You do not need to provide a letter from a home institution if you are not employed or enrolled in a residency program.
31) I am affiliated with two home institutions (e.g., a University and a hospital). Do I need to include letters from both?
Yes, you would be required to provide a letter from both institutions.
Adjudication, Selection and Funding
32) How many applicants are there? How competitive is this grant?
The Detweiler Fellowship is extremely competitive. For example, in 2018 we received approximately 110 applications and 25 received funding of various amounts.
33) How are the recipients of Detweiler Travelling Fellowships selected?
Detweiler recipients are selected through a two-tier review process. Tier One consists of peer reviewers (often previous Detweiler recipients) who use a detailed scoring rubric to score and rank applications. Note that funding information is NOT provided to Tier One reviewers. Once all Tier One scores have been received, a cut score is determined which identifies the top 30-40 applications. The Royal College’s Awards Committee members are the Tier Two reviewers. All members review and rate all applications above the cut score. Recipients are based on the resulting scores.
34) If selected, how is my total amount of funding determined?
Funding is determined based on the duration of the Fellowship and the scores identified by the Tier Two reviewers. The Awards Committee can determine a funding amount up to a maximum of $25,000 for Junior Detweilers, and $12,500 for Senior Detweilers (pro-rated monthly for fellowships less than 12 months’ duration). In the case of equivalent scores, funding from the home and/or host institution will be taken into consideration. The amount of funding is at the discretion of the Awards Committee, based on established criteria.
35) When will I find out if I have received a Detweiler?
The Awards Committee meets in late November each year, candidates will be notified if they were successful or unsuccessful before the end of December 2023.
36) When will I receive my payments?
An amount equivalent to 75% of the award will be given at the beginning of the fellowship and the remainder upon receipt of the final report at the end of the fellowship.
37) What needs to be included in the final report?
Your report should briefly summarize:
- the activities completed and knowledge acquired over the course of your fellowship;
- discuss how this experience has benefited your practice and professional development;
- outline your future career plans, and if applicable append a list of any publications completed during your tenure of this fellowship;
- your final report must be approved and signed by your fellowship supervisor/director;
- your final report need not be lengthy (2-3 pages), nor is it intended for publication.
