Applications are now open for the Osler Student Travel Award 2026-2027. The award is worth up to £4000 and provides funds for an undergraduate student at a UK medical school to travel to North America to undertake research on an agreed topic in history of medicine using material not available online. The deadline for submissions is Monday 30 November 2026. Travel will normally take place in 2027.
There is no requirement to register an interest before formal application for the award, but the supporting societies are keen to help applicants. Students are welcome to contact the sponsoring organisations if they would like an informal discussion as to suitability of topic, or likely sources of expertise and/or archival material is required.
Successful candidates will agree to present a report suitable for publication in a peer reviewed journal and give a presentation based on their research to one or more of the supporting societies for the award.
Societies supporting the Award are the British Society for the History of Medicine, the John Blair Trust, Friends of Millbank, the History of Medicine Society at the Royal Society of Medicine, the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine, the Hunterian Society and the Osler Club of London. Although Osler is in the title, all are equal partners, and each society appoints one member to the committee. The awards committee also has a representative of the American Osler Society.
Getting started: what you’ll need
- An outline of the proposed research, with information already gleaned on the topic explained. A list of primary and secondary sources already consulted, along with how the desired archive material was identified, and how it will aid completion of the project.*
- Precise information to be gained by the proposed travel, confirming that such material or expertise is not available online.
- A letter from the relevant authority (probably the archivist) in the US or Canadian institution confirming this, and that the material will be made available to the applicant. More details: What are the committee looking for?
More information
Contact: OslerAward@bshm.org.uk