2027 Forum Ambassador Fellowship Application

Each year, the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) hosts the Melanoma > Patient Forum, an exciting, free one-day program designed for patients, advocates, caregivers, and loved ones. This unique event brings together the melanoma community with world-renowned clinicians and researchers to share the latest advances in research and treatment, learn from each other, and leave empowered with knowledge and support. The 2027 Patient Forum will take place on Wednesday, March 3, 2027, in Washington, DC and virtually.

This year, thanks to the generosity of our donors, board members, and industry partners, we are offering a limited number of Patient Ambassador Fellowships. Patient Ambassador Fellowships differ from past travel scholarships that were offered in that moving forward, MRA seeks to establish and cultivate a formal, enthusiastic collective of individuals who can help expand our voice, educating and empowering others and curating effective messaging on topics that are important to various stakeholders. Specific criteria is detailed below. Each Ambassador Fellowship offers travel to DC for the event (including roundtrip economy fare airfare to Washington, DC, hotel accommodations for one night (or up to two nights for long-distance travelers), and a fixed-rate stipend (available upon request).

Scholarship Criteria and Considerations:

• History of Melanoma: Scholarships are designated for melanoma patients, survivors, and current/former caregivers.
• Geographic Diversity: Attendees from across the United States are encouraged to apply.
• Service to Community: Applicants should have strong connections to the melanoma community, at a national, state, or local level. This can include participation in programming at MRA (or other non-profit organizations), Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), or a local cancer center/hospital.
• Willingness to contribute to our new content creator collective.
• Ability to join most quarterly MRA Patient Ambassador Fellow meetings throughout the year to discuss MRA initiatives, content campaigns, etc.

To be considered for a scholarship, please complete the online application by November 15, 2026.

Scholarship Application Timeline

• Application deadline: November 15, 2026
• Notification of awards: December 15, 2026

‍MRA staff may contact applicants during the review process for clarification or additional information.

Attendance and Expectations

Fellowship awardees are required to fully participate in all scheduled 2027 Patient Forum activities as well as virtual quarterly meetings. The March 3rd Patient Forum begins with registration and a networking brunch at 11am ET. That evening, Forum participants are also invited to attend a joint reception with attendees of MRA’s Scientific Retreat - an invitation-only, think-tank-style meeting held on March 4-5th. The Retreat is primarily for MRA funded scientists and researchers.

‍Please note: The Patient Forum and the Scientific Retreat are two separate events. Registration for the Patient Forum does not provide access to the Scientific Retreat beyond the opening evening reception.

MRA Ambassador Fellowship Application

Application Questions (please provide no more than 150 words per answer)

1. What inspired you to apply for the MRA Ambassador Fellowship?  What do you hope to learn and contribute, and what would make this experience meaningful for you?
2. Tell us about your connection to melanoma?  How has your experience as a patient, survivor, caregiver, family member or patient/community advocate shaped your perspective?  Please share what you are comfortable in sharing.
3. Tell us how you connect with or support the melanoma community? This could include participating in support groups, volunteering, advocacy work, fundraising, serving on committees with the MRA or other melanoma organizations, participating on industry or governmental panels such as pharma, ASCO, the National Cancer Institute, the FDA, as a consumer reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, etc. If you are new to this work, tell us how you would like to become involved.
4. Have you participated in MRA’s Patient Forum before? If so – what did you get out of it? If you haven’t – what do you hope to get out of this experience?
5. MRA is seeking to support and nurture a content creator collective who can help expand our voice, educating and empowering others and curating effective messaging on topics that are important to various stakeholders. Are you willing to participate at this level for the year on a routine basis? MRA understands that voices come from different places and communicate through various channels. We welcome this diversity. Please tell us a little about how you can contribute to this effort. (note:  We recognize that everyone shares and connects differently. A large social media presence is not required)

Please indicate in your response that you have reviewed the fellowship expectations, including attending the 2027 Patient Forum, regular Fellow meetings, expected contributions, and can participate throughout the fellowship year.

COVID-19 Policy

MRA's 2027 Melanoma Exchange & Scientific Retreat will follow all published national and state COVID-19 guidelines in effect at the time of the event.

Questions

Any questions or concerns about the scholarship application process should be directed to Dana Deighton at ddeighton@curemelanoma.org.