Verified

Cardiac Surgical Resident Investigator Award

American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Applicant Requirements: Deadline ends at 11:59pm Eastern on 12/1/2026

Career Stage: Residents/ Fellows

Program Type: Research Grant

Specialty: Cardiac

Status: Open

Opens: September 1, 2026

Deadline: December 2, 2026

The AATS Foundation’s Surgical Investigator program focuses on clinical and translational research initiatives including, but not limited to, topics related to quality and outcomes research, studies of new and innovative therapies, procedures, and technologies in cardiothoracic surgery.

The AATS Foundation Cardiac Surgical Resident Investigator Award is intended to support cardiac surgical residents enrolled in an I6 program, or general surgery residents intending to follow either a traditional 5-2 training pathway or a 4-3 Early Specialization Program in cardiothoracic surgery, to conduct research in the laboratory of an established cardiac surgical investigator. This mentored award affords funding for the research activities of residents working directly with a senior cardiac surgeon. The established cardiac surgical investigators would direct the research projects and serve as research mentors.

The timing of the research interval during the resident's training years can occur at variable times. For I6 residents, the usual time would be between years 3 and 4. For residents in the traditional or early specialization pathway, the usual timing would be between the General and Thoracic Surgical residency years.

Application Process

Curriculum Vitae.
Mentor’s NIH Biosketch.
Training Plan and Environment; outlining the proposed training goals, core laboratory experience and didactic curriculum and mentoring/career counseling plans.
Description of the proposed research, including background, specific aims, significance, and research plan (5 page limit).
Description of research facilities.
Detailed budget (up to 10% of the total funding can be used for indirect costs and/or overhead assessments).
Disclosure of other currently funded research projects and pending applications for support.
Letter of support from the sponsoring research mentor addressing his/her endorsement of proposal and feasibility of the research proposal being carried out. The mentor letter should also include history of mentorship of previous research residents and outcomes of previous trainees. It should provide the mentorship/supervision plan, including information on research environment, salary, available laboratory space, and other educational activities during the award cycle.*
Letter of support from the Surgical Chief or Director of Laboratory where research will be conducted guaranteeing protected time and that the applicant will spend the entire funding period focused on described research and that the department is committed to providing additional support, if needed, to ensure completion of the research.*
One-page statement describing the relationship of the proposed research to the applicant’s career goals.

Funding

Each award would be for up to a 2-year duration for a total investment of up to $40,000 in support annually. The funding would be for support of salary, research supplies, travel, and other academic expenses related directly to the research (up to 10% may be allocated for indirect costs).

The 2nd year of funding will be provided based on evidence of progress and accomplishments as documented in a progress report submitted by awardee to the AATS Foundation after the initial 8 months of funding.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong research proposal with clear clinical relevance (highest predictor)

AATS asks for a 5-page proposal covering background, specific aims, significance, and research plan. Successful applications typically show:

a clearly defined research question
direct relevance to cardiac, thoracic, or congenital surgery
strong potential to improve surgical outcomes, techniques, or translational science
feasible methodology with realistic milestones

Reviewers explicitly use peer review to assess scientific merit and feasibility.

2. Strong academic trajectory / early evidence of productivity

Past recipients often already show strong academic momentum before award:

first-author publications in cardiothoracic surgery
prior presentations at AATS/STS or major surgical meetings
evidence of ongoing research productivity
clear pathway toward becoming an academic surgeon-scientist

A 2022 outcome study found AATS-funded investigators later achieved high publication output, strong citation metrics, and frequent academic promotion.

3. Institutional environment & mentor support

This appears especially important.

Applications require a letter of support from:

division chief
department chair
or laboratory director

Strong applications usually demonstrate:

protected research time
access to lab/clinical datasets
senior mentorship from established cardiothoracic investigators
institutional commitment to the applicant’s academic development

Reviewers seem to favor proposals where the institution clearly enables completion of the project.

4. Career-development alignment

AATS emphasizes that the research should fit the applicant’s long-term career goals.

A competitive application usually explains:

Why this project matters now in your career
How it helps transition to independence
What larger grant it will lead to next (NIH K/R awards, foundation funding, multicenter studies)

For mid-career programs AATS specifically asks applicants to describe how the award will lead to future funding.

5. Evidence the project can generate future external funding

One of the strongest indirect predictors.

AATS often supports projects likely to generate:

pilot data
preliminary mechanistic findings
publishable outcomes that can support later NIH or equivalent applications

Notably, ~45% of prior AATS awardees later obtained NIH funding, which suggests reviewers value projects with strong “next grant” potential.

Specialties

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Eligibility Requirements

Cardiac surgical resident who is currently enrolled in an accredited I6 program or general surgery residents intending to follow either a traditional 5-2 training pathway or a 4-3 Early Specialization Program in cardiothoracic surgery in the United States or Canada.
Must be engaged in cardiac research in the laboratory of an established cardiac surgical investigator who is an active AATS member in good-standing who will serve as their mentor for the duration of the project.
Must submit a complete education plan on the proposed research. Applications will only be considered meritorious if the selected mentor has provided adequate documentation highlighting their involvement and backing of the project.

Eligible Countries:

Canada

United States

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 10304 Eaton Place Suite 100 #1035 Fairfax, VA 22030

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