Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA)

Fellowship is open to physicians, scientists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals with a major and productive interest in cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
A group of attendees at an AHA networking luncheon

FAHA 2023 application cycle open February 9 through July 10

Spring 2023 notifications will go out late Spring 2023

What is FAHA?

For those who qualify, election as a Fellow of the American Heart Association recognizes your scientific and professional accomplishments, volunteer leadership and service. By earning the right to include the initials FAHA among your credentials, you let colleagues and patients know that you have been welcomed into one of the world’s most eminent organizations of cardiovascular and stroke professionals.

FAHA Testimonials

Preparing and Submitting Your FAHA Application

Basic Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for AHA Fellowship (FAHA):

  1. Must be an active member at the Premium Professional or Premium Professional Plus level at the time the application is submitted.
  2. Member dues must be up-to-date.
  3. Must have been an AHA member at a paid membership tier for at least two years.
Information Required to Complete Your Application
  1. FAHA Areas of Excellence provide the areas against which your application will be evaluated. The Areas of Excellence document can be found in the FAHA Resources for Applications section.
  2. CV template reflects what peer reviewers expect to find when reviewing your CV. If necessary, add missing information to a page or pages at the back of your CV to ensure all information can be found.
  3. Factors taken into consideration when scoring a candidate’s application are the FAHA Areas of Excellence, candidate’s CV, and letter of recommendation.
Locate a Proposer for Your Letter of Recommendation

Locate AHA Fellows by name or council in the Professional Volunteer Search Tool. To access the Volunteer Search Tool

  1. Log into professional.heart.org with an active login.
  2. Click the dropdown arrow next to your name in the upper right corner of the page. Click View Dashboard and choose Professional Volunteer Search.
  3. Select Active FAHA Member and select FAHA. You can narrow down your search by selection with the Location, Ethnicity, Gender and Career stage. Click the Search button.
  4. The next page will allow you to further narrow your search by Specialties, Job Classifications, Councils and more. For a FAHA proposer, using the Council option will likely yield the best results.
International Fellowship Criteria Alternatives

International applicants will be required to provide the same online application data as domestic applicants.

Letter of Recommendation

International candidates may have one letter of reference from a FAHA who is familiar with their work.

OR

One letter from the Chair or Academic Chair of their institution. A second letter from an international scientific leader.

CV

A CV template is available to download that shows what information is expected on the CV submitted with the application. Candidates should supplement their current CV with any information listed on the CV Template that does not already appear on their CV. It is not necessary to rebuild one’s CV but simply add a pages or pages to the back of the CV to provide missing information. Failure to include all necessary elements in your CV could result in you not being elected as FAHA.

AHA Staff Fellowship Criteria
  • AHA staff applying for FAHA status must meet the criteria with experience and service outside the scope of their position at the AHA. Any council and/or committee participation, support of AHA volunteer initiatives, AHA writing groups, etc., that fall within the staff applicant’s job at the AHA will not be considered during evaluation of FAHA applications.
  • AHA staff must be a paid AHA member for 1 year prior to submitting a FAHA application.
How to Apply

Candidates may request a letter of recommendation from any active AHA Fellow or Emeritus Fellow (dues are up-to-date) who is well acquainted with the candidate's professional activities and volunteer involvement. To apply for AHA Fellowship, please follow the procedures below:

  1. Sign in to Council Awards Application System using your Professional Heart Daily username and password.
  2. Follow the Instructions for ProposalCentral (found in the Resource section of 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.
  3. Once in the application, select the track from the Areas of Excellence document (can be found in the Resource section of this page) that you feel best describes your career path.
  4. Once in the track application, be sure to select your council affiliation from the dropdown and complete your application.
  5. Attach documentation as required.
    • An up-to-date curriculum vitae. (Check against the CV Template – found in Resource section of this page)
    • A letter of recommendation from your proposer. (Considerations for Letter of Recommendation – found in Resource section on this page) The letter must be written on business letterhead and be signed by the proposer; an electronic signature is acceptable.
Peer Review and Election Processes

Fellowship applications are peer reviewed during the spring and fall of each year. A slate containing the names of the newly elected FAHAs is presented to the Leadership Committee at its bi-annual meetings.

Recognition and Acknowledgement

Newly elected Fellows will be recognized in the Connections Newsletter, via signage at the FAHA Lounge at Scientific Sessions, and at council dinners during Scientific Sessions. Newly elected FAHAs are strongly encouraged to attend these events.

FAHA Resources for Applications

These downloadable resources will provide information and tips to make the application process much easier.

FAHA Areas of Excellence (PDF) – Review and select one of the four FAHA tracks that best describes you. You will select this track when completing your FAHA application.

CV Template (PDF) – CV Template shows what the scoring committees expect to find on candidate CVs. If CV does not include the information listed on the CV Template, candidates should consider adding an additional page or pages to the back of their CV to ensure all requested information is provided.

FAHA Letter of Recommendation (PDF) – Recommended information to be included in a Letter of Recommendation. This document may be provided to the individual selected to provide your letter of recommendation.

Instructions for ProposalCentral (PDF) – Applications are submitted through a vendor platform called ProposalCentral. Because this system is shared across multiple organizations and is used mainly for research funding, there will be some terms and labels that cannot be customized to the FAHA program. The navigation instructions will help to ensure that you get to the correct place to submit your application.

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

Council Acronyms (PDF)

FAHA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: When applying for FAHA, does each council have council specific criteria?
  1. No, applicants from all councils will be evaluated against the same criteria. The FAHA Areas of Excellence document, that can be found in the Resources section of the web page, shows the four available tracks as well as the areas of excellence each candidate will be evaluated on.
Q: Is there alternative criteria for international candidates?
  1. No. The qualities expected in a FAHA’s both domestic and international are the same. Domestic and international candidates are evaluated by the same areas of excellence. The only difference for international candidates is that they may not have access to a FAHA to provide their letter of recommendation. In this situation, their letter of recommendation may be authored by the Chair or Academic Chair of their institution. A second Letter of reference may be submitted by an International Scientific Leader. Only one letter is required but international candidates may submit two if they do not have a FAHA that can verify their accomplishments.
Q: How much does it cost to become a FAHA?
  1. There is no fee to apply or maintain a FAHA status. However, those applying to become a FAHA must be at a Premium Professional membership tier at the time their application is submitted. If elected FAHA, members must remain at a Premium Professional tier to maintain their FAHA status.
Q: If my FAHA status becomes inactive for any reason, do I have to reapply to get my FAHA status reinstated?
  1. If a FAHA’s membership tier drops below a Premium Professional tier or their membership expires, their FAHA status becomes inactive. Upon renewal or reinstatement at a Premium Professional membership tier their FAHA status will automatically be reinstated.
Q: If I transition my membership to an Emeritus status, will I be able to keep my FAHA status?
  1. If you are a current FAHA and meet the qualifications to transition to an Emeritus status, yes, you will be transitioned into an Emeritus Fellow.
Q: Can I apply to become a FAHA if I am an AHA Staff member?
  1. AHA staff that meet the qualifications may apply to become a FAHA. Please see the requirements for AHA Staff in Preparing your FAHA Application section.

Due Dates for Applications

  • Fall Deadline: July 10
  • Spring Deadline: January 24
     

Don’t Wait! Apply Now!

Fellowship (FAHA) Benefits

  • Entitlement to use the designation of Fellow of the AHA (FAHA). This designation reflects not only the professional stature of the Fellow, but also their record of valuable service to the association and the council
  • Access to online AHA journals at no cost
  • Reduced subscription rates for all AHA print journals
  • Reduced registration fee to the AHA Scientific Sessions and other AHA sponsored conferences
  • Access to the FAHA Lounge at Scientific Sessions
  • 8" X 11" Fellowship certificate suitable for framing