Hannah Studentship

Hannah Studentship 2024

AMS Healthcare and the Canadian Society for the History of Medicine (CSHM) are pleased to offer four three-month studentships to undergraduate and MA students registered in a Canadian university, for a supervised project in the history of medicine. These studentships offer awardees an opportunity to learn historical research techniques, and they aim to encourage future study of medical history.

AMS Healthcare is a Canadian charitable organization that was created 85 years ago to catalyze change in healthcare. It has impacted healthcare through the introduction of new ideas into the system, particularly focused on the responsibility of providers and healthcare organizations to meet emerging societal needs.

In the 1970s, the history of healthcare was an understudied discipline in Canada. AMS Healthcare saw its importance as a rich source of lessons that can positively shape Canadian healthcare and, over the years, AMS Healthcare has become the main source of support in elevating the relevance of the history of healthcare. Their granting program includes Postdoctoral Fellowships, Doctoral Research Grants, Project Grants and Hannah Studentships. AMS Healthcare also funds a diversity of organizations, special projects and grants targeting students in both faculties of medicine and history to foster and develop interest in the history of healthcare. AMS Healthcare strongly believes in learnings afforded by lessons of the past.

Since 2012, AMS Healthcare has focused its vision on the concept of compassionate care: supporting healthcare providers, educators, policy makers and system leaders in anticipating, teaching, and instilling a foundation of compassion at the heart of our health system. This is based on the premise that health professionals provide the best care when they can balance human compassion and technical expertise.

Purpose

CSHM is pleased to offer stipends of up to $5,500 and to oversee the review of applications.

The award may be held for a period of three months during the Fall, Winter or Summer semester. Payment is made to the institution where the student is registered, which will then pay awardees directly. These awards are considered taxable income by the Canadian government.

Eligible Research Topics

Preference will be given to research topics that support the strategic priorities of AMS Healthcare. (AMS Strategic Plan) The project may form part of an honours thesis, MA thesis, major research paper, or an elective project, and the student may receive course credit for the work. The proposed research must have a clearly defined timeline suitable for completion during the three-month Studentship.

Eligibility

Applicants must be registered in an undergraduate or MA program at a Canadian university at the time of application. Any full-time undergraduate or MA student is eligible to apply provided the proposed project and supervisor meet the criteria detailed below. Medical students are welcome to apply!

Awards are normally tenable only at universities in Canada.

Deadline

Please email applications to the Vice-President of the CSHM by 9 February 2024: [email protected]. Applications must follow the formatting guidelines.

Language

The jury includes bilingual evaluators to review applications in Canada’s official languages.

Publication and Acknowledgement

There are no restrictions on publications. However, acknowledgement of support from AMS Healthcare and the CSHM shall appear on any publication resulting from this award.

We recommend the following descriptor: AMS Healthcare is a Canadian charitable organization that was created 85 years ago to catalyze change in healthcare. They have impacted healthcare through the introduction of new ideas into the system, particularly focused on the responsibility of providers and healthcare organizations to meet emerging societal needs.

AMS may reproduce, at its discretion, the title and/or blog post submission (detailed below).

Instructions for Completing Application

Complete applications must include each of the following sections.

Applications should be typed in Arial or Calibri font, minimum size of 12pt. Please do not condense type or spacing. Pages should be numbered, with the applicant’s name at the top right corner of each page. 

1. Application Form

The application form must have all electronic signatures.

A representative of the university office which administers student awards must sign the application form. Payment is made to the institution, which will then pay awardees directly. By signing, the university office agrees to assume administrative responsibility for payment to the awardee.

Institutional signatures also indicate compliance with the AMS policy that overhead costs, university, or other institutional administrative costs may not be paid out of AMS grant funds.

2. Project Abstract

Provide a brief description (max. 150 words) in non-technical language, outlining the proposed project and its relevance to the history of medicine.

3. Project Proposal (maximum 3 pages double-spaced)

State the main research question, its connection to the relevant literature, and how you intend to undertake the project (methodology, location of sources, time lines, etc.). Provide some brief biographical information to demonstrate why you should be the one undertaking this project. This could include a list of relevant university courses, personal experience, or interests that are relevant for this project, along with proficiency in other languages if necessary.

4. Supervisor Assessment and Supervisor CV

The applicant’s supervisor should submit two documents confidentially and directly to [email protected]

First, a brief assessment of the project’s feasibility, the student’s suitability, and a commitment to oversee the project. Second, the supervisor should submit a condensed (max. 3 pages) CV to provide the committee with information pertaining to the supervisor’s familiarity with the research topic, including research activities most relevant to the proposed research project.

5. Transcript(s)

Please include one official undergraduate transcript. Students registered in the first year of an undergraduate program, where a university transcript may not give sufficient information, should include previous academic certificates. MA students may also submit, in addition, a transcript from their current institution.

6. Ethics Clearance

All projects involving the use of human subjects must receive ethics clearance by the Research Ethics Board of the home university of either the student or the supervisor. If ethics clearance has been received prior to submitting the proposal, please submit a copy of the ethics clearance certificate with the proposal. If ethics clearance has not yet been received, funds will not be released until proof of clearance has been obtained and submitted to the CSHM. If you determine that ethics clearance is not necessary, please include a brief statement explaining your reasoning.

In signing the AMS application form, applicants are committing themselves to act in accordance with the following statement when working with research subjects:

“I give my assurance that the human rights and personal dignity of all research subjects will be rigorously safeguarded and that no written or oral communications with research subjects will contain language that they may reasonably construe as offers of clinical or other assistance that I or my staff are not in a position, and willing, to offer.”

7. Final Reporting

Successful candidates must submit a final report and a 500-word blog post at the conclusion of the Studentship. AMS will publish the blog post on its website and showcase it on social media. The final report should describe the research activities that comprised the project. The blog post could summarize research findings and comment on how research in the history of medicine and healthcare shapes or informs the Canadian healthcare system of today and tomorrow. The final report and blog post should be submitted to AMS and the CSHM: Anne Avery ([email protected]) and Megan J. Davies ([email protected]).

Please address all correspondence or questions about this application to:
Megan J. Davies
[email protected]

Application Guidelines: PDF

Application Form: PDF 

The 2022 Hannah Studentships have been awarded to: 

Past Winners

2013 Award Winners
2014 Award Winners
2015 Award Winners
2016 Award Winners
2017 Award Winners
2018 Award Winners
2019 Award Winners
2020 Award Winners
2021 Award Winners