Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke

Application Window: January 23–April 5, 2023 (6 p.m. CT)

Applicants will be notified of funding by June 1 via email.

The scientific councils of the American Heart Association (AHA) want to stimulate interest, knowledge and investigative work in students in medicine, nursing, public health, nutrition, and other allied health disciplines. AHA Student Scholarships support students conducting research projects related to cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and stroke within basic, clinical, translational or population sciences early during pre-doctoral training, usually during the summer. Projects must be conducted under qualified supervision and each applicant and applicant's preceptor must be members of the AHA at the time of application.

AHA scholarships provide valuable stipends for graduate-level or medical students during the research project. The scholarship stipends may be used for student expenses, lab fees, or other costs incurred by the student during the project.

According to IRS guidelines, scholarships given for research work are considered taxable income. Applicants should consult a tax advisor and/or their university if they have questions.

Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease

Sponsored by Multiple AHA Scientific Councils

$2,000 scholarships, paid to the institution of the selected student, will be available for students researching cardiovascular disease topics within basic, clinical, translational or population sciences.

Student Scholarships in Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke

Sponsored by the Stroke Council

$2,000 scholarships, paid to the institution of the selected student, will be available for students specifically researching cerebrovascular disease and stroke. Scholarship recipients may also be eligible to receive a $750 travel grant pending verification of their attendance at the International Stroke Conference (ISC) and an accepted, a co-authored abstract for the current year's conference.

Student Scholarship in Cardiovascular Surgery

Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA)

$2,000 scholarships, paid to the institution of the selected student, will be available for students specifically researching cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, or cardiovascular anesthesia. Scholarship recipients may also be eligible to receive a $750 travel grant pending verification of their attendance at Scientific Sessions in November. If attending Scientific Sessions, they will be invited to attend the CVSA leadership meeting to report their experience. Awardees will also receive a complimentary ticket to the CVSA Annual Business Meeting (Council Dinner) and a 1-year complimentary AHA Student/Trainee member account.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include students in medical schools or in master's or equivalent programs in an accredited school in the United States where research training in cardiovascular disease and stroke is available.

MD/PhD and PhDs are ineligible unless the PhD was obtained previously in an area not related to basic sciences.

Each applicant and applicant's preceptor must be members of the AHA at the time of application.

The awards will be made to institutions within the United States in which the research training is available to students under qualified supervision. If the student conducts the research at a location other than his/her home institution, he/she must have written approval of his/her dean or other responsible individual.

Time Period

The typical applicant for these scholarships will be conducting research over the summers.

The award will be considered for students to work on a project or projects over the summer or in a block of several months not to exceed May 30 of the following calendar year.

Selection of Institution/Students

A committee of representatives of the American Heart Association scientific councils will select institutions based on the quality of a proposal, supporting supervision and the student’s academic achievement.

As many as five students from a single school within an institution may be considered for the scholarship; however, the scholarship committee reserves the right to fund only one applicant per institution each year. No student may receive an award more than once.

Preceptor

The institution must appoint a preceptor to guide the student during the scholarship period. All scholarships are awarded with the understanding that the preceptor will accept full responsibility for the program, its supervision, and the completion of formal reports.

Awards

Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease

A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to the institution in one payment upon receipt of the signed acceptance agreement and required financial forms at the AHA National Center. The entire amount must be used as a stipend for the selected student.

Additionally:

The top recipient of the Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke will be designated the Howard S. Silverman Scholar. Dr. Silverman, despite severe heart problems, maintained a positive outlook, an active research program, and often served as mentor to medical students, residents, and cardiology fellows. The Howard S. Silverman Scholar will receive an additional $1,000 stipend.

Student Scholarships in Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke

A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to the institution in one payment upon receipt of the signed acceptance agreement and required financial forms at the AHA/ASA National Center. The entire amount must be used as a stipend for the selected student.

Additionally:

The preceptor and recipient of a Student Scholarship in Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke are encouraged to submit a co-authored abstract through the International Stroke Conference abstract submission site, which typically opens in May. The abstract must be submitted in accordance with the AHA/ASA abstract submission guidelines as outlined on the conference website. Scholarship recipients who are eligible for the ISC travel grant should send an email with proof of ISC registration and abstract acceptance by December 15.
A $750 travel stipend to attend and present at the AHA/ASA International Stroke Conference will be paid to recipients of the Student Scholarships in Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke upon verification of an abstract accepted to the AHA/ASA International Stroke Conference, pending verification of their attendance and submission of eligible receipts after the conference.

Student Scholarship in Cardiovascular Surgery

The institution will receive a $2,000 scholarship to be used as a stipend for the selected student upon receipt of the signed acceptance agreement and required financial forms at the AHA/ASA National Center. Selected students will receive a 1-year complimentary AHA student/trainee account.

A $750 travel stipend to attend the AHA Scientific Sessions in November will be paid to recipients of the Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Surgery, pending verification of their attendance and submission of eligible receipts after the conference. Scholarship recipients who are eligible for the travel grant should send an email with proof of Scientific Sessions registration by August 15. Awardees will be invited to attend the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA) annual leadership meeting to report their experience. Awardees will also receive a complimentary ticket to the CVSA Annual Business Meeting (Council Dinner).

Scholarship Program Evaluation

The preceptor and student scholar must agree to allow the AHA/ASA to contact him/her in the future to evaluate the effectiveness of the Student Scholarship Programs.

How to Apply/Required Documents

Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is required. Hard copies of any part of the application cannot be accepted.

A student may only apply for one of the three scholarship programs and should choose the program that is most relevant to his or her research.

Your application file should contain the following documents in electronic format:

Student Scholar Statement: The applicant must provide a thorough statement (minimum three pages, double-spaced) describing the purpose of the research project, the implications of the project, and what the student hopes to accomplish or discover during the research period. The statement must also include a list of relevant classes taken and current grade point average if GPA is used at the institution.
Preceptor Statement: The preceptor must provide a statement of the following:
- A description of the proposed research program, including the facilities and personnel to be involved
- A description of his or her responsibilities towards the student’s training, and other academic and administrative responsibilities
- The duties and responsibilities of the student, the total duration and dates of the training period, and the specific education and training that will be provided
- A listing of the preceptor’s research funding active during the proposed training period
- A list of his/her trainees and project titles for the past five years
- A description of the student selection process
- Agreement (if selected) to accept responsibility for supervision of the project and to pay the entire scholarship amount to the Student Scholar as a stipend via his/her institution.
- Any other supportive or referential information on behalf of the student
Student and preceptor curriculum vitae and bibliography: The applicant and preceptor must each provide an up-to-date curriculum vitae with full bibliography (if bibliography is applicable).

Up to three additional recommendation letters outside of the preceptor’s statement may be submitted in the file and are optional.

Reference letters should be from individuals familiar with the applicant's scientific interests, academic interests, and performance, research abilities, or a combination of these. The referee should address as many of these areas as possible regarding the student. The reference letter should not exceed one page.
An email will be sent to the referee with a link to upload a letter of recommendation. Letters must be written on letterhead, and each letter should include the referee’s signature. Upon submitting their letters of reference, referees will be required to provide their AHA membership identification number (if membership is required). Please adhere to the optional reference letter limit as outlined in the award or fellowship criteria.
Reference letters will not be accepted via postal mail or electronically separate from the application file. Any letters must be uploaded to the Council Awards Application System within the application file to be considered.

Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is required.

An active AHA Professional Membership is required of all applicants and their preceptors for this award. If you are joining the AHA to apply, please wait for your AHA member number to arrive from AHA Member Services via e-mail before creating an online profile at Professional Heart Daily and starting your application file. We suggest that new members join the AHA no later than one week prior to the application submission deadline for the member ID number to be processed and delivered in time for the application deadline. The membership number will be required on the award application form.

Click the link for the Council Awards Application System.
Sign in with your Professional Heart Daily username and password.
Follow the instructions on this page to set up your profile in ProposalCentral. Setting up your ProposalCentral profile will only need to be done the first time you login to apply for an American Heart Association Council Awards. Please note that the grant maker named American Heart Association is for AHA Research Awards and is a separate log in.

For more detailed information on ProposalCentral, also included are additional materials on specific ProposalCentral functionality.

Deadline

All applications must be complete and submitted through the Council Awards Application System January 23–March 31, 2023, 6 p.m. Central Time.

Any applications still in "Draft" (unsubmitted) status at the application deadline will not be considered. Applicants needing to join the AHA should do so no later than one week prior to the application deadline for the membership to be processed and valid in time to be considered.