American Society of Hematology Alternative Training Pathway Grant
The Alternative Training Pathway Grant is intended to foster the development and/or implementation of creative new curricula for trainees in clinical and clinical/translational hematology and related fields. A growing number of trainees are expressing an interest in pursuing hybrid careers (e.g., medicine/pediatrics) and/or a desire to become trained in both clinical care and laboratory medicine (e.g., transfusion medicine or directing hemostasis laboratories). There is a perceived need for specialists with integrated expertise in hematology and other rapidly evolving areas of applied medicine such as vascular biology, stem cell technologies, cellular therapeutics, and targeted pharmacotherapeutics, laboratory oversight, and transfusion medicine. The Alternative Training Pathway Grant is designed to allow training program directors the opportunity to develop curricula that meets these new demands. Examples of previously funded initiatives include integrated pathways in adult and pediatric benign hematology; pediatric hemostasis-thrombosis and pharmacology; and hematology and palliative care.
Support
Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded to support the development and implementation of novel hematology-related training programs as an alternative to traditional training programs. The award may be expended over a one- to two-year period of time. No institutional overhead (i.e., indirect) costs will be supported by this grant.
Eligibility
Applicants must be Training Program Directors and other educators, and Active Members of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) at institutions with an accredited training program(s) in adult or pediatric hematology or hematology/medical oncology, or in other hematology-related disciplines (e.g., pathology specialties) in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. Awards are limited to only one application per institution. Awardees must commit to providing progress reports and final reports as defined in the terms of the grant.
Proposed Curriculum
The proposed curriculum should be able to integrate within an accredited hematology, hematology/oncology, and/or hematology-related specialty training program. Inter-disciplinary initiatives are encouraged, and multi-institutional programs will be considered.
Applicants should:
* Describe the proposed new or alternative training pathway(s).
* Discuss how career development and the scope of career opportunities will be enhanced through the proposed training pathway(s).
* If an inter-disciplinary initiative is proposed, describe how cross-training and certification in fields related to hematology may be pursued or how defined specialty barriers might be breached (e.g., medicine and pediatrics).
* Describe how the curriculum could be disseminated to other training programs if applicable.
* Describe plans to achieve sustainability of the pathway over time.
Examples of innovative pathways include: 1) Hematology and Laboratory Oversight Pathways (e.g. Special Coagulation Laboratory); 2) Hematology and Transfusion Medicine with an emphasis on apharesis.
Letter of Intent
Letters of Intent for the 2011 application cycle will be due via e-mail no later than 5:00 p.m. EST, on Tuesday, February 2, 2011. Those who have fulfilled the Letter of Intent requirements will be invited to apply.
Questions regarding this application and the ASH Alternative Training Pathway Grant should be directed to Joe Basso, Training Manager, at jbasso@hematology.org or 202-552-4910.
