Applications re-open July 2025
Purpose: This award provides an eligible resident or fellow who has completed at least two years of postgraduate training in a surgical discipline the opportunity to spend one year in a full-time research position with an AAS member. The award of $30,000 for one year per award may be used for salary support or for the direct-cost expenditures of the research. The award is to be expended solely for the purpose of the sponsored research.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be residents or fellows who are currently enrolled in an accredited training program and have completed at least two years of postgraduate training in a surgical discipline.
- The awardee must be a candidate member or an active member of the AAS. (Applicants with AAS membership applications in process are also eligible)
- There must be at least one mentor who is an active or senior member of the AAS
Funding and Reporting Requirements
The funding period: July 1st 2025 – June 30, 2026
Four projects will be awarded:
- AAS/AASF Global Surgery Research Fellowship – for individuals who are interested in advancing the field of Global Surgery through research, including but not limited to: proposals aimed at further defining or reducing the global burden of surgical disease; defining existing human and material resources available for surgical care in low- or middle-income countries; outlining the ability of surgical treatment to prevent death and disability in resource-poor settings; identifying strategies for instituting or improving surgical care or capacity in resource-poor settings; preventative interventions for surgical disease; and advancing surgical education or manpower in areas of limited resources.
- AAS/AASF Trainee Research Fellowship Award– Basic Science/Translational – for residents and fellows engaged in basic science or translational research.
- AAS/AASF Trainee Research Fellowship Award – Clinical Outcomes/Health Services – intended to give eligible residents or fellows the opportunity to spend a year in a full-time clinical, or health services research position with an AAS member.
- AAS/AASF Trainee Research Fellowship Award – Education – for residents and fellows engaged in educational research.
The winner will receive $30,000 for one year to be used for salary support and/or direct-cost expenditures incurred in the conduct of the proposed research project. The project must be completed within the 1 year funding period. In the event that investigator is awarded another extramural award, the investigator will be required to accept only one source of funding. No indirect costs will be covered. The award winners will be acknowledged at the AAS/SUS Awards Ceremony during the 2025 Academic Surgical Congress. A one-page formal progress report for the research project and copies of pertinent publications resulting from the funding of the research award should be forwarded to the AAS office upon completion of the one-year research project. A final report and presentation of work accomplished will be required at the 2027 Academic Surgical Congress following the conclusion of the grant. No more than 10% of the funding may be used for travel – these funds will be expected to cover the cost of the awardee ASC presentation requirement.
Committee Review:
A committee consisting of the councilors of the AAS, president-elect, and ad-hoc members as needed will review all proposals. The top rated proposals will be selected as finalists, and these applicants will be invited to interview with the selection committee, and the award recipient will be selected from these finalists and announced at the AAS Research Awards Ceremony at the 2025 Academic Surgical Congress.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Part 1: General information
Complete the General Information section, which includes your contact information as well as the Primary and Secondary (if applicable) Institution information.
Part 2: Project information
Complete the project information section, which includes project title, alternate funding sources, mentor information, etc.
Part 3: Supporting Documents
ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE UPLOADED AS ONE FILE IN PDF FORMAT (REQUIRED). Grants which are incomplete or do not follow the page limits or formatting guidelines will not be reviewed.
- Cover Letter (Limit: 1 page) – Should outline your academic development plan for the one-year research period, short and long-term career goals, and any other relevant information that you wish the committee to consider.
- Curriculum Vitae or NIH-style Biosketch (Limit: 5 pages)
- Lay Summary of Project (Limit: 200-300 words)
- Comprehensive Research Plan (Limit: 5 pages) single-spaced, Arial 11pt, 1″ margin, excluding references. Must include:
- abstract for research proposal
- significance of research
- background information
- preliminary observations
- experimental plan (methods, materials, potential limitations and pitfalls)
- Budget (Limit: 1 page) – Brief budget justification. Must include 10% use for travel (see funding parameters listed above)
- Letter from Sponsoring Research Mentor (Limit: 2 pages) – Must outline the mentoring plan, and describe their past mentoring experience and track record. The letter should also confirm the research plan, as well as the availability of resources to complete the proposed research.
- Letter of Support from the Chair of your Department (Limit: 2 pages) – The letter must guarantee that the applicant will spend the entire funding period in the research fellowship and that the department is committed to providing the additional support necessary to ensure completion of the project.
- Research Mentor’s NIH-style Biosketch (Limit: 5 pages)
Applications which exceed the page limitations WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.
APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED
Previous Award Winners:
- Basic Science
- Clinical Outcomes/Health Services
- Education
- Global Surgery
2025 Kathryn Fowler, MD – Oregon Health and Sciences University “Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer: Phenotypic Specificity of Circulating Hybrid Cells to Differentiate Advanced Precursor Lesions from Colorectal Cancer”
2024 Mohamad El Moheb, MD – University of Virginia “Preoperative Exercise Therapy: Modulating the Tumor Microenvironment to Prevent Liver Metastasis”
2023 Isabel Dennahy, MD – University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center “Novel Imaging Techniques in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer”
2022 Nitin Sajankila, MD – Nationwide Children’s Hospital “Protective Effects of Tryptophan Catabolites Produced by Lactobacillus reuteri on the Neonatal Immune System and Intestine in Experimental Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)”
2021 Jessica L. Mueller, MD “Modifying the extracellular matrix to improve enteric neuronal stem cell migration following cell therapy in Hirschsprung disease”
2020 Janani Vigneswaran, MD – University of Chicago “How changes of the intestinal microbiome lead to colorectal cancer recurrence and metastatic disease after curative resection”
2019 Amblessed Onuma, MD – The Ohio State University “Integrin-linked Kinase facilitates communication between Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Immune cells in Papillary Thyroid Cancer”
2018 Katherine Hekman, MD – Northwestern University “Modulating senescence to improve induced pluripotent stem cell derived endothelial cells for clinical applications”
2017 Kristen Seiler, MD – Washington University “Characterization of Changes in Extracellular Matrix during Adaptation following Massive Small Bowel Resection”
2016 Jarrod Predina, MD – University of Pennsylvania “Development of Immunologic Approaches to Eliminate Relapses After Cancer Surgery”
2015 James Butler, MD – Indiana University “Improving transgene expression on porcine endothelium through identification of endogenous promoters: a strategy to drive human complement regulatory proteins”
2014 Jashodeep Datta, MD – Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania “Development of a Novel Immunotherapeutic Approach Targeting Mutated BRAF in Melanoma”
2013 Adam G. Mace, MD – Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute “Chemosensitization of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells via PARP Inhibition”
2025 Alison Baskin, MD, University of Michigan “Enhancing Surgical Quality in Lung Cancer: The Role of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) Operative Standards”
2024 Wendelyn Oslock, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham “Pollution and Its Relationship with Surgical Outcomes and Disparities”
2023 Bayley Jones, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham “Adapting Enhanced Recovery Programs for Low Health Literacy Patients”
2022 Jordan Rook, MD, University of California, Los Angeles “Implicit Bias in the Trauma Resuscitation Bay: Disparities in Care for Marginalized Groups”
2021 Laura Krecko, MD “Exploring the effects of role-reversal simulation on interprofessional communication practices and perceptions”
2020 Numa Perez, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital “Comparing postoperative outcomes and patient experience after colorectal surgery between patients enrolled in a technology-augmented ERAS pathway and those under a paper-based ERAS pathway”
2019 Samuel Enumah, MD, Brigham & Women’s Hospital “The impact of Medicaid insurance expansion on disparities in access to and affordability of surgical care for thyroid cancer”
2018 Sophia McKinley, Mass General Hospital “A Mixed-Methods Study of General Surgery Inpatients’ Satisfaction with Surgical Resident Care”
2017 Kyle Sheetz, University of Michigan “The Value and Appropriateness of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy”
2016 Christopher Childers, UCLA “Variations in surgeon-level intraoperative cost: a pilot study”
2015 Christina Papageorge, University of Wisconsin “Preoperative tamsulosin for the prevention of postoperative urinary retention: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial”
2014 Lane Frasier, MD, University of Wisconsin “Human Factors Analysis of Team Fluidity in the Operating Room”
2013 Leigh Anne Dageforde, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center “Health Literary and Numeracy Assessment in Dyads of Primary Support Persons and Patients being Evaluated for Solid Organ Transplant”
2025 Jonah Thomas, MD – Massachusetts General Hospital “Quality and Equitability of Surgical Sub Internships“
2024 Carly Sobol, MD – University of Wisconsin-Madison “Better Conversations about Surgery: Every Surgeon, Every Patient, Every Time“
2023 Taylor Carter, MD – University of Utah “Achievement or Bias? A mixed-methods study of gender differences in the assessment of vascular surgery residents and fellows”
2021 Jennifer Geiger, MD – University of California, Davis “Achieving core competencies in primary palliative car: a formal curriculum to help surgical residents meet their milestones”
2020 Alaina Geary, MD – Boston Medical Center “Evaluation of intraoperative decision-making communication”
2025 Arnav Mahajan, MD – MetroHealth Medical Center “Bridging the Gap in TBI Management: A Protocol and Technology Driven Model for Pre-Hospital Care in Thailand”
2024 Anthony Eze, MD Duke University “Saving Intestines at Birth: Mobilizing Midwives & Low-Cost Silos to Improve Gastroschisis Mortality in Uganda”
2023 Taylor Jaraczewski, MD – Medical College of Wisconsin “Harnessing data and mixed-methods research to improve surgical morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia”
2022 Nancy Abu-Bonsrah, MD, Johns Hopkins Hospital “Assessing The Feasibility Of Building Multi-Institutional Neurotrauma Registry In Ghana”
2021 Barnabas Alayande, MD, Brigham & Women’s Hospital | Harvard Medical School “Developing and Testing a Non-Technical Skills for Surgery (NOTSS) Programme for the Nigerian Context”
2020 Zachary Enumah, MD, Johns Hopkins University “Comprehensive Assessment of the Surgical Burden of Disease and Surgical Capacity in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania”
2019 Sarah Jane Commander, Duke University “Mobile Health Program to Revolutionize Pediatric Surgical Care in Uganda”
2018 Katherine Hill, MD, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center “Determinants of Surgical Resident Autonomy in Kenya”
2017 Maunil Bhatt, Baylor “Innovative Method of Screening for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Resource Poor Regions”
2016 S. Ariane Christie, UCSF “Promoting Minimally Invasive Surgery in Developing Countries”
2015 Benjamin Martin, MD, Emory University “Promoting Minimally Invasive Surgery in Developing Countries”
2014 Shailvi Gupta, MD, University of California, San Francisco – East Bay “Untreated Surgical Conditions in Nepal: A Population-Based Survey”
2013 Rebecca Maine, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School/UCSF “The impact of inter-hospital transfer on the outcomes of trauma and other surgical patients in Rwanda”