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Surgical Investigator Program

American Association for Thoracic Surgery

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

Career Stage: Early Career Surgeons

Program Type: Flagship Program, Research Grant

Specialty: Multi-specialty

Status: Upcoming

Opens: September 1, 2026

Deadline: December 2, 2026

The Surgical Investigator Program supports clinical and translational research by young cardiothoracic surgeons, including topics related to quality and outcomes research, and studies of new and innovative therapies, procedures, and technologies in cardiothoracic surgery.

Application Process

Biosketch.
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 Surgical Chief or Director of Laboratory where research will be conducted addressing their endorsement of proposal and feasibility of the research proposal being carried out.*
First most significant reprint.
Second most significant reprint.
One page statement describing the relationship of the proposed research to the applicant’s career goals.

*For those looking to send letters of support for the candidate directly to the AATS Foundation, please email foundation@aats.org.

Guidelines

Applications for the Surgical Investigator Awards may request up to $50,000 per year for up to two years, two year proposals are preferred. For requests of more than one year, a progress report and request for additional funding are required prior to the end of the originally funded year. Additional funding will be made after review of the progress report.
All applications will be subjected to a rigorous peer-review process which will be established and overseen by the program's Review Committee.
If selected, the award will be paid to the successful applicant’s institution for support of salary, research supplies, travel, and other legitimate academic expenses.
The funding is to be used for initial support or for bridge funding for the continuation of a project between grants. Preliminary data and publications in the area of research will be required to assess feasibility.
After the research has concluded, investigators are required to submit a final report of their research activities and findings to the AATS Foundation Board.
All publications emanating from the research must include acknowledgement of the award.

Suggestions and Guidelines for Year One Progress Report

Briefly list the specific aims of the project.
Indicate what you expected to have done at this point in the project cycle.
Describe the barriers to progress to-date.
Update your project plans for the second year.
Indicate how you expect to continue or complete this research project.
Describe plans to submit a manuscript/grant proposal or some other tangible mark of progress in the coming months.
If available, submit any tables, figures or graphics from a report or paper you are working on.
Feel free to add any additional information that will support a second year 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

Completed their formal training in cardiothoracic surgery and be certified or in the process of obtaining certification by the appropriate Thoracic Surgery Board in the United States, Canada or international equivalent.
Must have a current academic or hospital appointment at a U.S. or Canadian institution.
Candidates must have completed their cardiothoracic residency within 7 years of application.
All candidates who submit eligible applications will be considered for all available AATS Foundation Surgical Investigator funding. The review committee will assign successful candidates based on internal requirements.

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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