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Thoracic Surgical Robotics Fellowship

American Association for Thoracic Surgery

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

Career Stage: Early Career Surgeons, Residents/ Fellows

Program Type: Training Program or Course

Specialty: Thoracic

Status: Upcoming

Opens: September 1, 2026

Deadline: December 2, 2026

Program Overview

The AATS Foundation Thoracic Surgical Robotics Fellowship provides an advanced educational experience for North American general thoracic awardees to participate in a one-day, faculty-led Clinical Skills Course at Intuitive Surgical’s Atlanta, GA facility. The fellowship will take place between Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 and includes structured pre-course requirements and post-course clinical benchmarks to ensure longitudinal skill development under the guidance of a designated faculty mentor.

The fellowship is administered by the AATS Foundation and supports successful applicants in the amount of up to $1,200* to defray the costs of travel and accommodations while attending the in-person Clinical Skills Course. This comprehensive, hands-on course provides both didactic and procedural training using Intuitive’s da Vinci Surgical System, focusing on advanced thoracic applications such as lobectomy and segmentectomy. Awardees will work directly with Intuitive training specialists and AATS Foundation faculty to complete standardized simulator drills, technical skill modules, and case-based discussions designed to enhance robotic proficiency.

Application Process

Applicants should provide a curriculum vitae with a full description of their surgical experience.
Letters of support from both their current program director and/or attending surgeon
Attending’s robotic case logs for trailing calendar year as well as the robotic case logs for their thoracic service department
- (When uploading this information, please use this template)
One to two-page narrative to include: (1) what they hope to accomplish during the fellowship; (2) the relationship of the planned study to the applicant's prior work, preparation, and professional goal; and (3) statement of future career goals

At the conclusion of their experience, fellows are asked to complete a post-fellowship survey for submission to the AATS Foundation. As part of Sunshine Act requirements, the value of the course for all trainees will be reported.

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

Enrollment in an ACGME approved fellowship program
Annual surgeon mentor robotic minimum volume in the last twelve (12) months including:
- Thirty (30) robotic lobectomies, segmentectomies and/or sleeve procedures
Annual fellow robotic minimum volume in the last twelve (12) months including:
- Twenty (20) robotic lobectomies, segmentectomies and/or sleeve procedures
Senior fellow in an ACGME approved fellowship program, or junior attending (ACGME fellows graduate) in the first three (3) years of practice
Commitment from Program Director or Lead Attending to mentor trainee over the course of the program through attainment of equivalency certificate
Commitment from institution to provide updates on cases performed using the da Vinci System prior to and following the fellowship program
Access to a fourth or fifth generation da Vinci X/Xi/DV5 System

Eligible Countries:

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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