General Surgery Resident Research Initiation GrantLength of Award: 1-2 yearsAmount: $20,000/yearDeadline: April 1Purpose: To attract General Surgery Residents or recent Graduates of such programsinto the field of Colon and Rectal Surgery by providing opportunities to engage inclinical or laboratory-based research focused on diseases of the colon, rectum and anus.Eligibility Requirements:• General Surgical Residents or recent Graduates of a US or Canadian approvedGeneral Surgery Training Program.
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons85 W. Algonquin Rd., Suite 550Arlington Heights, IL 60005Phone: 847-290-9184Fax: 847-290-9203Email: ascrs@fascrs.org
Karen and Josef E. Fischer International Traveling Fellowship Award for Surgeons in Academic Practice
Purpose The goal of this Traveling Fellowship is to promote interaction and learning among Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract members working in academic practice environments with gastrointestinal surgeons in academic practice in other countries. Description One fellowship will be awarded to an SSAT Member to visit a limited number of academic Gastrointestinal Surgical Units in other countries for a continuous period of two to three weeks. The Traveling Fellow is expected to observe procedures in the operating room, as well as to accompany the host faculty member(s) on patient rounds and clinic / office sessions and to attend and participate in relevant research, service, and teaching conferences of the host institutions. Accompaniment by Spouse / Family is encouraged. Criteria Must be an SSAT Member Must be in academic practice (preference will be given to those within 10 years of their initial academic appointment, but all interested members are encouraged to apply) Submission of an itinerary which outlines visits to two to four academic gastrointestinal surgical units located outside the applicants own country Coordination of the time of travel with a major international meeting in the geographic vicinity of the institutions to be visited is encouraged. For example, the International Society of Digestive Surgery World Congress, International Society of Surgery, the International Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Association, or the SSAT Must comply with the application process and submit all required materials as described in the Fellowship Application Process section If selected, the Fellowship must be accepted or declined by March 15 At the conclusion of the fellow's travel, the fellow will submit a brief report to the Education Committee including a description of the experience and offering observations and highlights as well as opportunities for improvement Must be certified by the American Board of Surgery or a similar accrediting college/board in the surgeon's own country Conditions of Fellowship The selected fellow will contact potential sponsorship institutions and make arrangements to complete the fellowship between July1 and June 30 of the academic year following the announcement of the Fellowship. If the selected fellow requires assistance in contacting host institutions the Education Committee will provide such assistance. Stipend A stipend of up to $5000 will be provided to the Traveling Fellow to defray reasonable costs for travel, lodging, and meals. Additional support for family members will not be provided. Expenses will be reimbursed by the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract Treasurer upon receipt of the Traveling Fellows report and summary of expenses. Fellowship Application Process and Checklist To be eligible for consideration, the following materials must be submitted to the Society's Administrative Offices no later than February 1 of the year in which the application is made: Application Page Response to Survey Questions (Maximum of two single spaced pages in 11 point or larger) Curriculum Vitae or Resume Letter of support from Medical School Chair of Surgery Timeline February 1 Applications to be received in the Society's Administrative Offices February 15 Applications reviewed by the Education Committee March 1 Notification to Applicants Mid-May Announcement of Traveling Fellow July 1 to June 30 Term of Award (One Year) Questions If you have any additional questions please contact Jon Blackstone at 978-927-8330 or Email SSAT
Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
Career Development Award Deadline January 8, 2009 This award for young faculty members ($50,000 per year for two years) is to assist in the establishment of investigators, basic or clinical, in digestive diseases.
Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Inc. 900 Cummings Center #221-U Beverly, MA 01915 Phone: (978) 927-8330 Fax: (978) 524-8890
Eligibility Criteria The supported research program can be focused on basic laboratory or rigorous clinical investigation. The award is restricted to surgeons who have completed formal clinical and research training in general surgery and are within five years of their first faculty appointment in a department of surgery at a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the United States or by the Committee for Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools in Canada, or the equivalent national accrediting body for applicants from other countries. A significant amount of time should be devoted to research to accomplish the investigator's goals. The Head of Department and Division of General Surgery must ensure that the applicant has the required protected time for research. The SSAT award of $50,000 per year for two years is a career development award and is meant to support young investigators who have not been funded by a National Institutes of Health R01 Award. In addition, if an investigator has received a similar type career development award from another organization such as the American College of Surgeons, American Surgical Association Foundation, etc., he/she will be ineligible for the SSAT Career Development Award. This is the applicant's responsibility to notify the SSAT of potential funding conflicts. The award is not to diminish or replace the customary, expected compensation or benefits; nor is any portion of the award to be used for institutional indirect costs. The recipient will present a progress report to the SSAT Annual Meeting during and immediately following the period of award. It is expected that the recipient submit any abstracts deriving from his/her Career Development Award-funded research to the SSAT Annual Meeting for presentation consideration, as well as any manuscripts to the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the official journal of the SSAT, for publication consideration. Applications Applications will include: A completed application form. The applicant's curriculum vitae. A research plan of no more than 8 pages utilizing the following headings: Title Preliminary data Summary (abstract) Experimental design Specific aims References Background/significance of research Appropriate institutional (IRB and/or animal studies) approvals. A letter from an SSAT member agreeing to sponsor the applicant. A supporting letter from the Head of Department and Division of General Surgery indicating a commitment to continuation of the academic position and facilities for research and of continued protected time are required. These letters should outline specifically how this program will be integrated into the applicant's long-term career plans. A letter from the mentor for the proposed project that indicates, clearly and specifically, the plan for the applicant's career development during and subsequent to the award period. Deadline The deadline for receipt of completed applications for the 2008 Career Development Award has passed. The deadline for the 2009 award is January 8, 2009. Send the original and 6 copies of all materials to the SSAT National Office. SSAT Career Development Award 900 Cummings Center, Suite 221-U Beverly, MA 01915 Review Applications for the 2008 Career Development Award will be reviewed by the Research Committee of the SSAT. The successful applicant(s) and the SSAT sponsor(s) will be notified of the decision by mail by early May, 2008, and the winner will be introduced at the SSAT Opening Session during Digestive Disease Week, May 17-21, 2008, in San Diego, California.
Grants Availability Announcement INTRODUCTION The Association for Surgical Education Foundation was established by the Association for Surgical Education (ASE) as a non-profit foundation in 1993. Its mission is to raise and disseminate funds to support innovative research and education projects and programs which will advance surgical education in North America. The Association and the ASE Foundation are separately-incorporated organizations. Because of the importance of its unique mission, the ASE Foundation has experienced significant growth in the last five years. By securing operating, project and endowment support from the Association itself, several generous corporate partners, all past presidents of the Association, many surgery department chairs, and dozens of individual supporters, by 1998 the Foundation's assets and fund raising capabilities had grown to the point where the Foundation could make its own grants to deserving investigators. This strong financial base, combined with an especially generous three year grant from U.S. Surgical in 1999, allowed for the development of the Center for Excellence in Surgical Education, Research and Training (CESERT). One of twenty "centers for excellence" funded at major universities throughout North America by U.S. Surgical, CESERT was located by the Foundation's Board of Directors at the offices of the ASE at the Department of Surgery of Southern Illinois University in Springfield, Illinois. In October of 1999, ASE Executive Director Susan Kepner was named CESERT Administrator.
REQUEST FOR GRANT PROPOSALS In October 1999, the Board of Directors of the ASE Foundation announced the availability of grant funds of up to $50,000 per grant for applications which addressed the ASE's and CESERT's primary areas of interest. While grant application requests in any amount will be considered, the Foundation Board expects that the average CESERT grant will be in the range of $25,000 to $50,000 annually. While multi-year proposals will be considered (three year maximum), regardless of the length of the funded project, total grant size may not exceed $100,000. The Foundation's Board of Directors had previously developed four grant-making priorities which it felt would most effectively advance the mission of the ASE and its Foundation. CESERT funding will continue to be allocated to those priorities. Given the diversity of the surgical profession and its many specialties, grant categories are necessarily broad. A proposal requesting support for development of new educational programs (including new methods and/or materials) will only be considered if it is theory-based, includes a research component that will shed light on how specific program variables affect specific educational variables, and presents a plan for evaluation of program efficacy.Top Priority: Innovations in Teaching in a Changing Educational Environment Will develop and test new, more effective ways of teaching learners at all levels. Performance Evaluation and Assessment Will develop and test new ways to determine how well learners at all levels have learned the required information and skills and can perform the required tasks. Undergraduate, Graduate and Faculty Development Will develop and test ways to more effectively disseminate educational research findings so as to keep both faculty and curricula current. Curriculum and Educational Administration Management Will develop and test new ways to provide administrators the resources and skills necessary to maintain accountability in a managed care environment. Research studies could include teaching techniques, performance evaluation methods, instructional and curriculum design, and educational program design.
ELIGIBILITY The Foundation is promoting the availability of these grant awards to ASE members as well as to members of other national surgical associations. However, members of the ASE will be given priority consideration in the Board's decision making process. If a non-ASE member wishes to apply for a grant, the non-member investigator must be working in collaboration with or have their project endorsed by an ASE member.
GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS Investigators are encouraged to submit succinct proposals outlining their project's goals, costs, personnel, and applicability to other surgical education programs throughout North America. The applicant institution's plan and ability to "roll out" the results of their project or program will be important considerations for the Grants Review Committee. This proposed plan should include elementary dissemination of information and findings through articles in professional journals, paper presentation at local and national meetings, and so on. While the Foundation anticipates utilizing a variety of opportunities to publicize the results of its grant-making, it is also expected that authors of funded proposals will give credit in all subsequent publications and presentations to the ASE Foundation for the support provided to underwrite their work. Every proposal will first be reviewed by a Grants Review Committee comprised of eight voting members. CESERT's Administrator and the Foundation's President will serve ex-officio. A standing committee of the ASE Foundation, the Grants Review Committee is comprised of: 2 ASE Foundation Board members 3 ASE members who are not Foundation Board members 2 "outside experts" in the areas of medical education and/or research 1 Chair of the ASE Educational Research Committee Applicants are discouraged from directly contacting either members of the Grants Review Committee or Directors of the Foundation Board. The responsibility of the Grants Review Committee is to review and evaluate all proposals submitted to CESERT. Proposals recommended for funding will be brought to the ASE Foundation Board of Directors for final consideration. The ASE Foundation Board of Directors alone has the responsibility for final approval or disapproval of all grant applications. The Foundation Board's decision making process will be guided by two principles: That to the greatest extent possible the outcomes and findings of all funded projects can and will be promulgated on a national level, i.e., the results and/or findings of CESERT-funded initiatives will be of importance and use to surgical educators and students throughout North America. That the proposal evaluation process at all levels of review will be democratic, fair, and unbiased. The Foundation's Board has established two funding cycles to accommodate the schedule of the Board's semi-annual meetings. Cycle 1: for grants to be approved at the October Board meeting. Proposals must be submitted between December 2 and June 1. Cycle 2: for awards to be approved at the April/May Board meeting. Proposals must be submitted between June 2 and December 1. Depending on the date of submission, the review cycle can take from four to ten months.
FOR COURIER/OVERNIGHT: Ms. Susan Kepner CESERT Administrator Association for Surgical Education 301 N. 8th Street, Room 3A-108 Springfield, IL 62701 FOR POSTAL DELIVERY: Ms. Susan Kepner CESERT Administrator Association for Surgical Education Department of Surgery SIU School of Medicine PO Box 19655 Springfield, IL 62794-9655
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