The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (NREF-AANS) are offering a two-year faculty career development award to neurological surgeons. The award is to support the establishment of a new and independent research program in an area of neurological surgery. The award is $40,000 per year for each of two years, to support the research, and is not renewable thereafter.

General policies and guidelines:

• The award is open to surgeons who (1) are members or candidate members in good standing of both the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS); and (2) have completed specialty training within the preceding five years and have received a full-time faculty appointment 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. Applicants should provide evidence (by publication or otherwise) of productive initial efforts in laboratory research.
• The award is to be used to support the research of the recipient and is not to diminish or replace the usual, expected compensation or benefits. Indirect costs are not paid to the recipient or to the recipient’s institution.
• Applicants may not be current recipients of major research grants. Application for this award may be submitted even if comparable application to other organizations has been made. If the recipient accepts a scholarship, fellowship, or career development award from another agency or organization, the ACS/NREF-AANS Faculty Career Development Award for Neurological Surgery will be withdrawn. It is the responsibility of the recipient to notify the NREF who will inform the Scholarships Administrator of the College of competing awards.
• Supporting letters from the head of the department of surgery/neurosurgery or the division of neurosurgery and from the senior investigator (if applicable) supervising the applicant’s research effort should be submitted. This approval would involve a commitment to continuance of the academic position and the availability of facilities for research.
• The applicant must submit a detailed research plan and propose a budget for the two-year period of the research, even though renewed approval by the ACS and the NREF-AANS is required for the second year. In addition to completing the application, the applicant is also required to submit a cover letter of approximately 400 words that describes his/her career objectives how these career objectives will be achieved; how the research protocol furthers the applicant’s career development; and, in particular, how this award will provide data for subsequent major funding.
• The awardee is expected to attend both the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (1-6 May, in Denver) and the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons (23-27 October, in San Francisco) in 2011 to present reports to the ACS Scholarships Committee and NREF-AANS representatives.
• The American College of Surgeons and the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation require a research progress report after one year, and a summary of research progress and information regarding current academic rank, sources of research support and future plans at the conclusion of the research period.

ACS/NREF-AANS Health Policy Scholarship Brochure/Application (55K PDF)

The closing date for receipt of applications is November 15, 2008. Please submit the completed application to:

Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
5550 Meadowbrook Drive
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-3852
or e-mail to: NREF@aans.org

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT:

• The completed application, sponsor statement, program director comments, and letters of recommendation must be received by Saturday, November 15, 2008. Electronic submission of the application will be accepted, in addition to the traditional hard copy format. Acknowledgement receipt of your application will be sent via e-mail to you by Friday, November 21, 2008. If you do not receive this notification, please contact the Development Coordinator at (847) 378-0500 or NREF@aans.org.
• Notification of awards will be made by March 2, 2009. After notification of the award, the applicant must indicate acceptance in writing no later than April 1, 2009. If acceptance is not received by NREF by the deadline, funds will be awarded to the first runner-up.
• The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) is to be cited as a source of support for any publicity that may result from this award.
• Please submit one hard copy of the completed application to the NREF at the address listed above or one electronic copy to NREF@aans.org. If submitting an electronic copy of the application, please send a hard copy of the signature page to the mailing address listed below.

BUDGET

• The grant is for those budget items necessary to pursue proper research. It may be used in part for stipend or entirely. A budget must be prepared by the applicant and the sponsor indicating how the award funds will be used.
• It is the policy of both the ACS and the NREF-AANS to fund only direct costs involved with the research awards. No fringe benefits, publication costs, or travel expenses are to be included.
• The signature representing your institution’s financial office on the last page should be your institution’s chief financial officer or grants and contracts officer.
• The award will be made payable to the institution and disbursed by it according to its institutional policy.
• The institution where the research is preformed has the discretion as to the ownership of equipment purchased with funds from this award upon completion.