Postdoctoral Fellows should review the terms of their fellowships for guidance on available sick time. If an external funding source specifies sick leave policies that differ from those outlined below, the fellow must comply with the terms established by the funding source. In such cases, the external funding source remains responsible for covering compensation during the leave period.

Unless otherwise specified by an external funding source, Postdoctoral Fellows who are paid a salary or stipend by or through Brown University begin their appointment with fourteen (14) paid sick days.

Sick time may be used due to personal illness, injury, medical appointments, procedures, or other disabling medical conditions, or to care for a family member. Sick days are provided annually and must be used within one year of the appointment start date. Unused sick days do not carry over and are not paid out at the end of an appointment.

Postdoctoral Fellows should notify their principal investigator (PI) or sponsoring department as soon as possible when taking a sick day, and must record sick time in Workday.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines

Because many Postdoctoral Fellows receive National Research Service Award (NRSA) funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the NIH guidelines are included below for reference.

According to NIH guidelines, “NRSA trainees and fellows may continue to receive stipends for up to 15 calendar days of sick leave per year. Sick leave may be used for medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth. (GPS References: Trainees, Fellows). Under exceptional circumstances this period may be extended in response to a written request to the NIH awarding component." 

NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows should coordinate with their principal investigator (PI) and department administrator to request and document their sick time. For more information, please refer to the NIH guidelines for trainees and fellows.

For additional details, see Article 18: Leaves of Absence and Time Off, Section C (page 38) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Last updated: March 31, 2026.