Sarnoff Scholar Fellow-to-Faculty Transition Award
Information
Current Scholars
Application (For Sarnoff Alumni Only)
Information About the Sarnoff Scholar Fellow-to-Faculty Transition Award
Program Description
The Sarnoff Scholar Transition Award is a competitive award, designed to facilitate the Fellow-to-Faculty transition, by providing substantial financial support to former Sarnoff Fellows who are committed to pursuing a career in cardiovascular research. This program will support the promising physician-in-training during the interval in which the Scholar is making the transition from a research fellow to a junior faculty member. The Sarnoff Transition Award will be awarded annually to outstanding former Sarnoff Fellows for the purpose of funding up to two years of training at the fellowship level and up to an additional three years (at a higher stipend) at the junior faculty level.
The Foundation is now offering additional flexibility by allowing fourth year Cardiology Fellows to apply for the Sarnoff Scholar Faculty Transition Award in order to receive three years of funding at the junior faculty level. Applicants must be a Cardiology Fellow when applying, and the application must contain a detailed plan for mentorship.
Funding
The Sarnoff Scholar Transition Award is designed to provide salary support for up to four consecutive years of full-time research: up to two years at the fellow training level and up to three years at the junior faculty level. The award is designed specifically to continue the longitudinal commitment of the Foundation to support the training and career development of new physician-scientists. For the first two years, the stipend will be $50,000 per year. The stipend will then increase to $67,500 a year for up to two years when the Scholar transitions from the position of fellow to junior faculty member.
In addition to the annual stipend, Sarnoff Scholars receive the following benefits:
- An annual budget of up to $10,000 for laboratory supplies and professional journal subscriptions
- Monetary support to attend the Annual Scientific Meeting
- An annual allowance of up to $750 to attend the annual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions
- Up to $1,500 annually to defray the cost of health insurance if it is not provided by the Scholar's host institution
- Travel funds of up to $1,000 to enable the Scholar to present a paper at a national conference, based on the Scholar's research, within two years of completing the Scholar Transition Award Program.
Application Procedure
Sarnoff Alumni interested in applying for the 2009 Scholar Transition Award Program must submit a letter by January 7, 2009, indicating current clinical and research interests and the anticipated time frame for initiation of funding for the Scholar Program. The Scholar applicant will then be assigned a Scientific Committee advisor to assist in the preparation of a research proposal and project budget. The final application is due on February 17, 2009.
Selection Criteria
The Scientific Committee will award an applicant who demonstrates a high standard of intellectual and academic achievement and promise. In particular, the Scientific Committee considers:
- The applicant's potential for both a successful career as an independent researcher and a successful training experience
- The scientific merit of the applicant's research proposal, including significance and originality of proposed research goals, soundness of methodology, and clarity of presentation
- The qualifications of the applicant, including suitable career stage, relevant research experience, prior scientific publications and other related accomplishments
- The training environment of the host institution, including the extent of opportunity presented by the project for the candidate to acquire new approaches, techniques, and methods
- The Preceptor's relevant research expertise, previous experience in training, specific plan for training the applicant, and resources and environment
- The commitment of the institution to the development of the careers of physician-scientists, as reflected in a commitment to provide sufficient space, resources and protected time to promote the development of young physician-scientists.
Terms of the Scholar Program
The Scholar must devote a minimum of 80% effort to research training and to the conduct of research. No more than 20% effort may be dedicated to clinical and teaching activities. A Scholar supported by the Foundation may not accept another scholarship or similar award. However, the Scholar's institution may supplement the stipend in accordance with its usual policy for comparable trainees and faculty positions.
For More Information
If you would like to apply for the 2009 Sarnoff Scholar Fellow-to-Faculty Award, please submit a letter by January 7, 2009, indicating your current clinical and research interests and the anticipated time frame you would like to begin the Scholar Program. Letters should be submitted to:
Dana Boyd, Executive Director
Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation
731 Walker Road, Suite G-2
Great Falls, Virginia 22066
Fax: 703.759.7838
For more information on the Sarnoff Scholar Transition Award, please contact Dana Boyd at 703.759.7600, or at dboyd@SarnoffFoundation.org.
Current Scholars
2007 Sarnoff Scholar
Jonathan Brown, MD
Host institution: Brigham & Women's Hospital
Preceptor: Jorge Plutzky, MD
Research Project: Lipid Metabolism: A Hepatic Lipase-PPARd Pathway
2006 Sarnoff Scholar
Daniel Greif, MD
Host institution: Stanford University
Preceptor: Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD
Research Project: Morphogenesis of the Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Layer
2005 Sarnoff Scholar
Javier Lopez, MD
Host Institution: University of California, San Francisco
Preceptor: Paul Simpson, MD
Research topic: Role of the cardiac a1-adrenergic system in myocyte hyperplasia
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