For further information Contact Dhia Chandraratna International Medical & Scientific Research Officer. 2010 McDonald Fellowship info for candidates.doc (128 kb) Promotional posters for use by university departments and research institutions: Awards poster.pdf (27 kb)

The MSIF Ian McDonald Fellowship, known as the McDonald Fellowship, was established in 2007 to honour the memory of Professor Ian McDonald, a world leader in MS research and former Chairman of MSIF’s International Medical and Scientific Board (IMSB).

Prof McDonald had a monumental impact on MS research, treatment and understanding, providing invaluable breakthroughs in the field.

Prof McDonald also gave hours of time and expertise to MSIF. He was a member of MSIF’s IMSB from 1980 and its Chairman from 1999 to 2003. He was also the driving force behind the development of the MSIF project, the Sylvia Lawry Centre for MS Research, inspiring others to give their time, energy and funds to this vital undertaking.

Further information on Professor McDonald's achievements.

The McDonald Fellowship was formerly the Du Pré Fellowship.

Fellowship

• MSIF offers a number of McDonald Fellowships annually to young and talented researchers from emerging countries*.
• The Fellowship enables the recipient to travel to an established research institution to work with the world's leading researchers in MS with a view to returning to their own country to establish a programme of MS research that involves the application of the newly learned techniques.
• The Fellowship consists of a two year grant, in the region of UK£25,000 per year, to cover travel and living costs, and an additional contribution of UK£2,000 per year to the host institution.
• In 2010, we encourage applications in the areas of symptom relief, rehabilitation and palliative care

Eligibility

• Candidates must not be older than 35 years of age at the time of application
• Candidates must be citizens of an emerging country* as defined by the World Bank.
• Candidates must be working or studying in an emerging country* at the time of nomination OR working or studying in another country on a project which commenced within the 6 months prior to nomination OR studying in another country on a project supported by an MSIF grant
• The candidate’s focus of research should be in an area of neuroscience appropriate to MS.
• Before nomination, candidates need to have identified a suitable project and discussed their involvement with the project supervisor of the institution.
• It is anticipated that the award may be seen as a contribution to the country from which the candidate comes, as a step toward establishing greater expertise in MS research in that country.
• The Fellowship may also be used as a supplement for work related to MS by a candidate who has been accepted for training in a recognised institute (within the 6 months prior to nomination) but for whom there are insufficient funds available to cover the total cost.
• The research should be in an area that makes it likely that the studies and expertise can be transferred in the candidate’s home country.

Nomination of candidates

University departments must nominate a candidate. This nomination should include:

• 2010 McDonald Fellowship Nomination Form.doc (109 kb)
• Candidate letter - a letter from the candidate detailing their reasons for nomination.
• Supervisor letter - a signed letter from the candidate’s current supervisor supporting the nomination.
• CV - the candidate's current curriculum vitae clarifying his or her previous experience.
• References -testimonies from at least two people with whom he or she has worked.
• Project proposal - a description of the field of research that the candidate wishes to be trained in or the research project that he/she wishes to carry out. This should be written by the applicant and should be a maximum of four A4 pages including the background to project, aims and methodology to be used and the anticipated outcomes. A list of references should be added as an appendix which may also include figures.
• Host letter - a signed letter of support from the project supervisor of the host institution, indicating that appropriate facilities will be made available. The letter should be on institution-headed notepaper.
• Future plans - a one-page statement from the candidate as to what their future plans might be when he/she returns to their country of origin.

Deadline

The deadline for nominations is 30 June 2010

Selection

The members of the MSIF IMSB Executive Committee consider and select successful candidates.

Fellowship recipient(s) will be announced the week commencing
4 October 2010

Evidence of results

MSIF requires a short report at the end of the first year of the Fellowship. Second year funding is dependent on the submission of this report.

Upon completion of the Fellowship, a final report is required. This should detail:

• What the recipient has gained from the Fellowship
• Their achievements in the project field
• The particular area of expertise which is being transferred back to the country of origin

Potential hosts for 2010

The following researchers have expressed interest in hosting fellowship candidates in their laboratories. Please contact Dhia Chandraratna for further details.

Prof. Kenneth J. Smith, Ph.D.
Head, Department of Neuroinflammation,
The Institute of Neurology (Queen Square),
University College London, UK

Helen Tremlett, PhD
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Medicine (Neurology)
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Marcelo Kremenchutzky, MD
Director, The London Multiple Sclerosis Clinic Associate Professor,
Schulich School of Medicine University of Western Ontario Neurologist, Clinical Neurological Sciences Department University Hospital,
London Health Sciences Centre
London, Ontario, Canada

Prof. Dr. med. Wolfgang Brück
Institute of Neuropathology
Göttingen University
Göttingen
Germany

Hans-Peter Hartung MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Neurology
Heinrich-Heine-University
Dusseldorf
Germany

Prof Doug Feinstein
University of Illinois
Chicago
USA
- Interested in hosting fellowship on EAE model of MS, and therapeutic interventions to reduce neuroinflammation.

Prof Brenda Banwell
Director, Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis Clinic,
The Hospital for Sick Children,
University of Toronto,
Canada

Dr An Goris & Prof Bénédicte Dubois,
Laboratory for Neuroimmunology,
University of Leuven,
Belgium

Dr Jacqueline Monique Orian,
Senior Research Fellow,
Department of Biochemistry,
La Trobe University,
Melbourne, Australia.
Our current major areas of investigation are:
1. Astrocytic reactivity with particular emphasis on the early disease stage;
2. Gray matter pathology
and are based both on the EAE model and human tissues.

A.M. Rostami, MD, PhD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Neurology
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, USA

Past McDonald Fellowship recipients

In its inaugural year (2007) MSIF awarded five McDonald fellowships and a further three fellowships in 2008. Read more about the young researchers from Argentina, Brazil, China, Hungary, Mexico, Romania, Spain and Thailand who will spend two years studying and working in the world’s leading MS research centres in Australia, Italy, Spain, UK and USA.

2009 McDonald Fellowship Recipient

2008 McDonald Fellowship Recipients

2007 McDonald Fellowship Recipients

Du Pré Fellowship

Jacqueline du Pré, born in Oxford, England in 1945, is acknowledged as one of the greatest cellists who ever lived. Throughout her career she performed with prestigious orchestras and soloists all over the world. In particular, her recording of the Elgar concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1965, aged only 20 years old, brought her international recognition.

In 1973, at the age of 28, Jacqueline du Pré was diagnosed with MS. She continued to perform and to teach, and even had James D Wolfensohn, a former Chairman of MSIF and former President of the World Bank, as a student. In 1987, 14 years after being diagnosed, Jacqueline du Pré died at the age of 42.

In honour of Jacqueline du Pré’s life and work, MSIF established the Du Pré Fellowship to support young and talented researchers from emerging countries. Between 1985-2005 eight researchers were awarded the Fellowship.

Past recipients of the Du Pré Fellowship