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Medical Student Scholarship to the Annual Meeting

American Academy of Neurology

This scholarship is offered to up to 50 US M1/M2 students and 50 US M3/M4 students.

The scholarship offers US medical students a chance to attend the AAN Annual Meeting. It aims to stimulate students' interest in pursuing the field of neurology through a personalized experience that will expose them to diverse neurologic subspecialties, the broad spectrum of career pathways, and the many new therapeutic advances in the field. Participants will experience dedicated educational activities, scientific presentations from leaders in the field of neurology, and opportunities to enrich their medical careers and broaden their professional networks.

Timeline

Applications open: July 29, 2026
Applications close: October 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT
Notifications sent: By end of January 2027

Benefits

Recipients will receive:

Registration, airfare coverage, and five nights hotel stay (April 30–May 4) during the AAN Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
Certificate of Recognition and acknowledgement at the AAN Medical Student Symposium.
Tailored experience: Required and suggested programming and events to attend, increasing engagement with content and colleagues to create a unique Annual Meeting experience.

Application requirements

To be considered for the scholarship, Medical Students must submit the following materials. An application will NOT be considered if the application and supporting documents are not complete.

All applications must include: 

Nominee’s CV
Statements from the nominee describing their interest in neurology, any limitations to engaging in neurology, and goals for attending the AAN Annual Meeting.
Confirmation of support from a faculty member at the student’s school

Awardee expectations

Students must attend required education, science, networking, and mentoring activities during the Annual Meeting as well as complete evaluation/feedback materials. If selected, the itinerary and detailed requirements will be communicated.

Selected recipients will arrive Friday, April 30, and are required to attend the AAN Annual Meeting from May 1 through May 5, 2027, at 12:00 p.m. ET.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong commitment to an academic career in neurology (highest predictor)

This is the most consistent predictor across AAN funding programs.

AAN specifically targets investigators pursuing careers in:

Clinical neurology research
Translational neuroscience
Basic neuroscience
Neurological disease research
Neurological health-services research

Most awards are designed as career-launching mechanisms for future academic leaders in neurology.

2. High-quality, hypothesis-driven neurological research (very high predictor)

Competitive applications typically include:

An important neurological research question
Strong scientific rationale
Rigorous methodology
Appropriate statistical design
Clear specific aims
Feasible timeline

AAN funds research across numerous neurological disorders, including:

Stroke
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's disease and dementias
Parkinson's disease
ALS
Multiple sclerosis
Neuromuscular disorders
Peripheral neuropathy
Rare neurological diseases

3. Strong potential for future NIH or major external funding

One of AAN's primary goals is to create a pipeline of successful independent investigators.

Reviewers strongly favor projects that can:

Generate preliminary data
Lead to NIH K awards
Support future R-series applications
Launch long-term neurological research programs

Past awardees frequently describe AAN funding as a critical stepping stone toward larger federal grants.

4. Strong mentorship and protected research time

A recurring theme across AAN awards is the importance of mentorship.

Successful applications usually demonstrate:

Experienced research mentor(s)
Strong research environment
Protected research effort
Career-development plan
Access to necessary resources and infrastructure

Award recipients frequently cite mentorship and protected time as key benefits of AAN funding.

5. Early-career investigator promise

Most AAN Research Program awards specifically target:

Residents
Fellows
Postdoctoral researchers
Junior faculty
Early-stage investigators

Reviewers often look for:

Emerging independence
Academic potential
Commitment to neurology research
Long-term research vision

Eligibility requirements for many awards are explicitly tied to years since residency or doctoral training.

6. Publication record and prior productivity

Strong applicants typically demonstrate:

First-author publications
Neurology-related research output
Scientific presentations
Abstracts at major neurology meetings
Evidence of scholarly momentum

Although extensive publication records are not always required, prior productivity substantially strengthens competitiveness.

7. Clinical and translational relevance

Projects with a realistic pathway to improving:

Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Patient outcomes
Quality of care
Neurological healthcare delivery

are particularly attractive to AAN reviewers. Practice-based and implementation-focused research is also supported through dedicated scholarship mechanisms.

8. Alignment with specific AAN award mechanisms

AAN uses multiple funding tracks, and strong applications clearly fit the intended mechanism:

Career Development Award (CDA) – independent junior investigators
Clinical Research Training Scholarship (CRTS) – mentored clinical investigators
Neuroscience Research Training Scholarship (NRTS) – laboratory/basic neuroscience researchers
Practice Research Training Scholarship (PRTS) – health services and implementation research
Clinician-Scientist Development Awards (CSDA) – disease-focused career development programs

Specialties

Biochemistry

Immunology

Neurosciences

Pharmacology

Cell Biology

Molecular Biology

Pathology

Physiology

Eligibility Requirements

Students must be in good standing at a US medical school.
MS3/4 students, preference for those involved with SIGN.
Preference to those who have not previously attended the AAN Annual Meeting.
Preference to those who do not have a required neurology clerkship.
MS3/4 Students must be AAN members; MS1/2 are encouraged to become AAN members (membership is free for students; register here).
Applicants from the same institution are encouraged to apply; however, the scholarship may be given to no more than one M1/M2 and one M3/M4 student per institution, with situational exceptions.
- If more than one application is received from the same institution and they are deemed equal, the awarding of the scholarship will be determined by the date/time the application is received.
Medical students can only accept one AAN scholarship to the Annual Meeting per year.

Eligible Countries:

United States

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Academy of Neurology

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 201 Chicago Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55415

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