Hold’em for Life Charity Challengecontinues to generously support cancer research and education at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and our partner hospitals.
The Hold’em for Life Cancer Fellowships are open to University of Toronto postgraduate medical learners pursuing cancer research at any of the Faculty’s affiliated teaching hospitals. A multidisciplinary U of T committee will annually review and rate all proposals.
Award Amount: $50,000
Funding must be applied to the learner’s salary
Learners must not receive Ministry of Health (MOH) salary and the fellowship award concurrently. Residents (PGYs) who receive the award will require a top-up to PARO levels. For more information please contact postgrad.med@utoronto.ca.
Applications will be considered for funding from July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2028
(The Fellowship Review Committee will consider applications with an alternate start date within the academic year. Expected alternate start date must be included in application form.)
Eligible candidates must fulfill the following criteria:
Be a medical doctor licensed to practice in Ontario
Commit to spending at least 2 years in residency and/or clinical fellowship training, during which at least 1 year has a minimum of 80% protected time committed to research
Be registered with the University of Toronto Postgraduate Medical Education Office (PGME) as a resident (PGY) or clinical fellow
Have a Supervisor with a faculty appointment at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Projects must be in the field of cancer research. Applicants can apply from any University of Toronto clinical department or related clinical discipline (including but not limited to: medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, psychosocial oncology, medical imaging, pathology etc.)
Renewal proposals will be considered for immediate past Hold’em for Life Fellows with the support of the supervisor. For these applications, please only submit a one-page summary that confirms other eligibility criteria are met and includes a progress update.
Key dates for 2026 Competition: Application opens: July 2026
Application deadline: October 5, 2026 (11:59pm EST) Late applications will not be considered.
Notification of committee review and outcome: Winter 2027
Funding begins: July 1, 2027 (or at another date within the academic year, based on application and per committee approval)
Submit all materials (application cover form, proposal, applicant CV and supervisor CV) to medicine.cancerfellowships@utoronto.ca by October 5, 2026 (11:59pm EST). All applicants and their supervisors will be notified of the outcome of their application by the Hold’em for Life Cancer Fellowship Committee in Winter 2027.
Hold’em for Life Charity Challenge is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization that has raised more than $47 million to fund cancer research since its inception in 2007. With a new investment in the University of Toronto and our partner hospitals, Hold’em for Life strives to help advance cancer research and invest in the next generation of oncology clinician scientists.
