The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, established by Joan Whitney (Mrs. Charles S. Payson) in 1943, awards the "Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship" for support postdoctoral research in the biomedical sciences. The foundation was established in New York in 1943 by Joan Whitney Payson in cooperation with the estate planning of her mother, Helen Hay Whitney (1875-1944).
Currently the Foundation awards 20 fellowships per year. The award is one of four highly competitive postdoctoral awards in the life sciences, and many of North America's leading scientists and medical researchers were supported in the early stages of their career by the Whitney Foundation.
Members of the Scientific Advisory Committee have included:
Notable fellows have included: