Biosciences Mental Health Support Program

About the Program

In an effort to help address some of the challenges surrounding Mental Health and Wellness for Biosciences PhD students, in conjunction with the Biosciences Hardship Program, we have created a Mental Health Support Request Form pilot program.  Funds from this program are intended to assist with copays associated with your mental health care. 

This pilot program offers up to $1,000 (subject to fund availability) per academic year to doctoral scholars who meet the eligibility criteria. To maximize the impact of our limited funds, the application will remain open year-round; however, applications will only be reviewed quarterly. We anticipate making reimbursements on the order of $50 – $1000 each.  The Mental Health Support funds are grants and do not need to be repaid.  They are, however, considered taxable income and recipients will need to comply with IRS guidelines.  Please be aware that funds disbursed may automatically be applied to any outstanding university bill.

The Mental Health Team does provide free and accessible mental health care for School of Medicine and Biosciences students. Please review the MHT website for information on making an appointment. Further campus resources can be found here.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Biosciences Hardship Fund, the applicant must a pursuing a PhD degree in the following programs: Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biology, Biomedical Informatics, Biomedical Physics, Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Chemical and Systems Biology, Developmental Biology, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Genetics, Health and Research Policy, Immunology, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Neurosciences, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, or Structural Biology.

Applicants must be in their first six years of PhD study.  MSTP students who are in their PhD years may also apply.

Each academic year’s funding cycle for appointments eligible for reimbursement begins on June 1 of the previous academic year, and ends at the completion of the current academic year, August 31.

How to Apply

This fund will be administered by the Office of Graduate Education and is subject to fund availability. Applications will be reviewed quarterly, due to potential fiscal year restraints the Spring and Summer review periods will be combined. Reimbursements will be discreetly entered in GFS following the application review period. You may apply for reimbursements quarterly, but please note the program will only reimburse up to $1,000 in copays per academic year. The application does request supplemental materials. However, we do request that any submitted material does not include any element of diagnosis. Your application information will be kept confidential amongst the Review Committee. The Review Committee will review applications for completeness, and make recommendations for reimbursement amounts with the finance team.

Application Review Periods

*Dates listed for notification are estimates

Apply Here

If you have questions after reviewing the program details and eligibility requirements, contact the Office of Graduate Education at oge-helpme@stanford.edu.