Verified

Summer Intern Scholarship

American Association for Thoracic Surgery

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

Career Stage: Medical Students

Program Type: Scholarship

Specialty: Multi-specialty

Status: Open

Opens: September 1, 2026

Deadline: December 2, 2026

Established in 2007, the Summer Intern Scholarship in Cardiothoracic Surgery aims to introduce cardiothoracic surgery to first and second year medical students in a North American medical school during an eight-week summer placement within an AATS member's cardiothoracic surgery department. The scholarship provides $2,500 grants to recipients in order to cover living expenses during their eight weeks of training. In addition to direct support from the AATS Foundation for the internship, two recipients are eligible for the Scanlan Family Summer Intern Scholarship in the same amount. Those awarded with the Scanlan Family Scholarship will be selected by the review committee based on the merit of their applications and will receive special recognition on the Scanlan Family Scholars website.

Mentors of the the scholarship recipients will be expected to provide updates to the AATS Foundation Board of Directors on the recipients' career paths.

To identify an AATS member to sponsor for this scholarship, candidates can do so by visiting the AATS membership directory . No more than two students from a single institution may be awarded the scholarship; in the instances where two students from the same institution are selected, each must have a unique host sponsor.

Application Process

-Narrative (no more than one page) on your background and future goals.

-Project outline of your 8 week plan during your internship at the host institution.

-Letter of support from your current institution*

-Letter of support from your AATS Mentor*

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

Be a first or second year medical student as of January 2026.
Be enrolled in a North American medical school.
Submit a letter of support provided by the host sponsor (sponsor must be a member of the AATS).
Submit a letter of support provided by your current institution.
Submit a one-page project outline of what the candidate hopes to accomplish during the eight weeks. The outline must not exceed one page and should specify the proposed exposure to cardiothoracic surgery to be undertaken, including an aspect of both laboratory and clinical experience.
Narrative on your background and future goals (no more than one page).
Complete their study in the institution of the host sponsor.
Agree to submit a summary report and evaluation of their experience to the AATS within 60 days upon completion of internship.

Eligible Countries:

Canada

Mexico

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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