Research, Scholarship, and Clinical Training Opportunities for CT Surgery Residents
Below is a list of research, scholarship, and clinical training opportunities for current or graduating cardiothoracic residents. This list is not meant to be comprehensive and will be built upon as more opportunities become available. Please contact the TSRA at tsrasurgery@gmail.com to submit an opportunity for posting in this listing.
OPPORTUNITIES IN BASIC/TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH
The Thoracic Surgery Foundation has several funding opportunities available for current residents.
TSF Awards Program
TSF applications open July 15, and the submission deadline is September 15.
TSF Resident Research Fellowship Award
This award provides up to $30,000 per year for up to two years for general surgery or cardiothoracic surgery residents who have not yet completed cardiothoracic surgical training. During the fellowship, the resident will work in a cardiothoracic surgical clinical or laboratory research program.
Nina Starr Braunwald Research Fellowship Award
Nina Starr Braunwald, MD was the first woman to be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) and the first woman to conduct open heart surgery. This award in her name supports up to $30,000 per year for up to two years for a woman resident working in a cardiac surgical clinic or laboratory research program who has not yet completed cardiothoracic surgical training. Since its inception, fellowship recipients have gone on to become established leaders within the field. This is widely recognized as one of the specialty’s most prestigious research fellowships. Those eligible are women general or cardiac surgical trainees who intend to pursue a career in investigative cardiac surgery and whose program director indicates that the applicant will be allowed not less than 80% protected time for research.
Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (STSA) Resident Research Award
TSF, through the generosity and philanthropy of the STSA, is offering this award that will provide up to $30,000 per year for up to two years to support the research fellowship of a resident who has not yet completed cardiothoracic surgical training. During the fellowship, the resident will work in a cardiothoracic surgical clinical or laboratory research program. STSA membership is not required; however, applicants must meet STSA membership eligibility requirements.
Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship Award
Carolyn E. Reed, MD was a thoracic surgeon, an educator and successful researcher, who died early while still in her prime. She served as the first female Chair of the ABTS and was also President of the STSA and STS. This award in her name provides support of up to $10,000 for a clinically-established woman thoracic or cardiac surgeon or woman resident in their last year of cardiothoracic surgery residency to travel to another institution for the purpose of learning a new skill or technology. The award will be used to defray the travel and living expenses. Those eligible are women cardiothoracic surgery residents in their last year of training at an ACGME or Canadian equivalent accredited program who expects to be eligible for ABTS or its equivalent Canadian certification at the time the award is dispersed and who have an established mentor/sponsor (man or woman) who agrees to provide the applicant with training experience
Robert L. Replogle Traveling Fellowship Award
This award is named for Dr. Robert L. Replogle, fondly known as “Rep” by his colleagues, who was a talented pediatric cardiac surgeon, as well as an educator, researcher, and national leader in cardiothoracic surgery. The purpose of this traveling fellowship is to facilitate the continuing education of a deserving young faculty surgeon or resident committed to the treatment of congenital heart disease in neonates, infants, children and adults. The award is to be used for travel to another institution for the purpose of learning a novel technique, adapting innovative technology and/or fostering collaboration between surgical investigators in order to further the progress of congenital heart surgery at the recipient’s home institution. The successful applicant will have a record of excellence in training and academic achievement. Those eligible are fellows enrolled in an ACGME-accredited congenital cardiac surgery fellowship program at the time of application and cardiothoracic surgery residents who have matched at an ACGME-accredited congenital cardiac surgery fellowship.
AATS Timothy J. Gardner Fellowship
This fellowship provides an opportunity for current residents or recent graduates to enhance their education in outcomes research. It provides an award of $10,000 to be used to supplement the awardee’s research interest through additional training in statistics, study design, and clinical research. Fellowship support may be used for tuition for courses, workshops, or symposia related to this opportunity.
John W. Kirklin/David A. Ashburn Fellowship of the CHSS Data Center
This fellowship is a two year non-clinical appointment that provides an opportunity for outcomes research with the Congenital Heart Surgeon’s Society Data Center housed at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. In addition to gaining expertise in database management, biostatistics, epidemiology, and research methods with opportunities to present at national meetings and prepare manuscripts for publication, fellows will also participate in clinical conferences and research meetings.
American College of Surgeons Clinical Scholars Program
Offers 2 year onsite fellowships in surgical outcomes research, health care policy, and health services research. Assigned mentors from the ACS, may also earn a master’s degree in clinical investigation, health care quality and patient safety, or health services and outcomes research.
American College of Surgeons Research Scholarships
These are two-year resident research scholarships. Eligibility for these scholarships is limited to the research projects of residents in surgery or a surgical specialty. Supported by the generosity of Fellows, Chapters, and friends of the College, to encourage residents to pursue careers in academic surgery. Funding period begins July 1st.
Association for Academic Surgery Trainee Fellowships
Basic Science/Translational and Clinical Outcomes/Health Services/Educational Research fellowship are available. The intent of these awards is to provide an eligible resident or fellow who has completed at least two years of postgraduate training in a surgical discipline the opportunity to spend one year in a full-time basic research position with an AAS member. The award of $20,000 for one year per award may be used for salary support or for the direct-cost expenditures of the research. The award is to be expended solely for the purpose of the sponsored research. The funding period for this award begins July 1st.
American Heart Association Fellowships
OPPORTUNITIES/AWARDS TO ATTEND REGIONAL AND NATIONAL MEETINGS
AATS Member for a Day Program
Provides an opportunity for North American medical students, general surgery residents, up to third year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residents (I-6) and members of the American Physician Scientists Association (APSA) to accompany an AATS Member Mentor, along with a resident member of the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA) during portions of the AATS Annual Meeting. The program is designed to offer insight into the specialty and to provide an opportunity to network and build relationships within the cardiothoracic surgical community. Up to 30 medical students, general surgery residents, and I-6 cardiothoracic residents (within their first three years) will be selected to participate in this program. Successful candidates will receive complimentary hotel accommodations for a minimum of three and a maximum of four nights in an AATS Annual Meeting hotel. Additionally, at the conclusion of the meeting each successful candidate will receive a $250 stipend from the AATS to offset the cost of meals and an additional stipend of up to $500 USD to help offset the cost of travel.
AATS Resident Poster Competition
Provides an opportunity for senior cardiothoracic surgery residents and/or congenital heart surgery fellows from around the world to represent their institution by presenting a scientific poster of their clinical/investigative research at the AATS Annual Meeting. Once committed, residents/fellows must provide the Cardiothoracic Residents Committee with a brief abstract regarding the research on their posters. Posters may include research that has been previously presented and/or published. Residents/fellows’ institutions will receive a stipend of $500 to help offset the cost of travel and hotel accommodations at the Annual Meeting.
STSA Hawley H. Seiler Residents Award
Presented for an outstanding paper by a cardiothoracic or general surgery resident. It is bestowed upon the resident excelling in the following categories regarding their abstract submission: quality of abstract as well as manuscript and oral presentation. The award is named after STSA Past President and founding member, Hawley H. Seiler, MD.
STSA James W. Brooks Resident Scholarship
Seeks to identify and encourage general surgery residents, who are committed to pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery, to travel to the STSA Annual Meeting. The Scholarship includes one round-trip, coach-class airfare to attend the STSA Annual Meeting; three nights’ hotel accommodation; tickets to attend the President’s Mixer and the Dinner Gala; and an assigned STSA mentor to assist in planning a schedule of educational programming, answer questions and facilitate introductions.
WTS Carpenter Scholarship
This award for female medical students, general surgery residents, and cardiothoracic surgery residents provides up to $2,000 to cover travel costs and lodging to the STSA Annual Meeting. Recipients will also be assigned a mentor for the duration of the meeting.
WTS Scholarship Program
This scholarship for female medical students and resident physicians covers meeting registration for the STS Annual Meeting, a three-night stay at an STS-designated hotel, participation in exclusive events, and reimbursement of up to $500 in related travel expenses.
STS Looking to the Future Scholarship
This award is for general surgery residents and scholarships include complimentary registration for the STS Annual Meeting, a three-night stay at an STS-designated hotel, participation in exclusive events, and reimbursement of up to $500 in related travel expenses.
AATS Honoring Our Cleveland Clinic Mentors Program
This program is for cardiac surgeons from North America going into their second year of residency training in Cardiothoracic Surgery to participate in a one and one-half day program at the Cleveland Clinic in the fall to obtain a basic understanding of the steps necessary to secure their first full time position following completion of their training program.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) surgeon section also sponsors resident travel awards to attend national meetings.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL CLINICAL TRAINING DURING RESIDENCY
AATS Lawrence H. Cohn Clinical Scholar Program
This program is for young cardiac surgeons who are in the final year of residency or have recently completed residencies and are interested in obtaining an advanced experience with valvular surgery or care.
AATS James L. Cox Fellowship in Atrial Fibrillation Surgery
This program provides trainees in their final year of training or recent graduates an opportunity for an immersive 2-4 week hands-on educational opportunity to enhance their clinical understanding and surgical proficiency in treating patients with atrial fibrillation under the guidance of leading surgeon-educators in this field. The specific learning objectives will be to provide surgeons with the foundational knowledge of the pathophysiology of AF, the rationale for surgical treatment and the ability to perform the AF correction procedure over a range of surgical approaches.
AATS Denton A. Cooley Fellowship
This clinical fellowship provides an educational experience for North American thoracic surgeons in their final year of residency or have recently completely their residency within the past two years to spend four weeks studying at the Texas Heart Institute and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. It is funded by the AATS Foundations and provides $5,000 to defray travel and living expenses.
AATS Surgical Robotics Fellowship
This fellowship provides an advanced educational experience for 25 North American general thoracic trainees and their attending surgeons to spend a two-day period at Intuitive Surgical’s Atlanta, GA or Sunnyvale, CA facility to experience an advanced training course on Intuitive Surgical’s Da Vinci System. Successful applicants will receive a mixture of didactic and hands-on lectures to maximize the value of the Fellowship. The Fellowship provides successful applicants with a $2,500 grant to defray the costs of roundtrip travel and accommodations to the selected training center for the fellow and their attendee.
AATS/STS Cardiothoracic Ethics Forum Scholarship
Awards of up to $10,000 are made to CT surgeons or trainees who are interested CT surgeons to obtain formal education and training in biomedical ethics through any of several programs offered by leading ethics centers in North America.
TRAINEE OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN BOARD