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SUS Foundation

University-Based Surgical Education and Research

Resident Research Scholar Award

SUS Resident Research Scholar Awards

SPONSORED BY AN UNRESTRICTED EDUCATIONAL GRANT FROM THE SUS FOUNDATION

Please Note: The application will ask you which award you are applying for- SUS Foundation or KARL STORZ. You may only apply for ONE award. Review the eligibility criteria below to for both awards to confirm for which funding source you would like to apply.

Be sure to review the information below before beginning an application. Applicants should begin to put together the required grant files and contact the letter writers now so that the files may be uploaded as soon as the system opens.

Apply Now! 

Eligibility

This award is intended for residents in any of the surgical disciplines who are doing basic/translational, clinical, health services, surgical education, or bioengineering/information technology research. 

Eligible residents will have completed at least two years of training in the United States or Canada by the start date of the award (August 1, 2023) and agree to spend at least one year in full-time research with a SUS member.

SUS Executive Council and Scholarship Committee members are excluded from mentoring residents and have been listed below. If your intended SUS member research mentor is on the following list you are NOT eligible:

Jayme Locke, MD (Chair)
Peter Angelos, MD, PhD
Adam Berger, MD
Genevieve Boland, MD
George Chang, MD, MS
Danny Chu, MD
Dev Desai, MD, PhD
Timothy Donahue, MD
Cynthia Downard, MD
Christopher Gayer, MD
Sunil Geevarghese, MD
Ankush Gosain, MD, PhD
O. Joe Hines, MD
Catherine Hunter, MD
Gregory Kennedy, MD, PhD
Shaun Kunisaki, MD, MS
Clara Lee, MD
Melinda Maggard-Gibbons, MD
Colin Martin, MD
Melanie Morris, MD
Benedict Nwomeh, MD, MPH
Ravi Radhakrishnan, MD, MBA
Ziad Sifri, MD
David Stewart, MD
Jennifer Tseng, MD, MPH
Thomas Varghese, Jr., MD, MS
Derrick Wan, MD
Kasper Wang, MD
Tracy Wang, MD, MPH
Rebekah White, MD
Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS

FUNDING PERIOD:   August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2024 

STIPEND

This is a one-year award of $30,000. The funds can be used for either salary or expense support, but must be expended solely for the sponsored research project. No indirect costs will be covered. Generally indirect costs would refer to costs such as electricity, water, internet services, and janitorial services, which would be paid to the institution at which the research is conducted. The stipend is expected to cover the cost of the awardee ASC presentation requirement, which is listed below (i.e. no additional travel funds will be provided). The purchase of any equipment greater than $1,000 must be adequately justified in the budget section.

COMMITTEE REVIEW

The deadline for submission of applications is Friday, June 30, 2023 at 5:00PM Pacific Time. Applications will be reviewed by the SUS Scholarship Committee. The Committee will notify the top-ranking applicants in July, inviting them to interview online August 2023. Additional details on the interview process will be sent to the chosen applicants. The successful applicant winner and the SUS member research mentor will be notified by email.

AWARDEE PRESENTATIONS AT ASC

The awardee will be expected to provide the SUS office with an interim written report on the status of their research by December 31, 2023. The awardee will then be required to appear at the 2025 Academic Surgical Congress to provide a final report on their research in a special session of the Scholarship and Executive Committees and at the AAS/SUS Research Awards Session. All travel and registration funds for presentation at the ASC should be covered by the grant.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Applications must be submitted using the online submission site which will close Friday, June 30, 2023 at 5:00PM Pacific Time. All files must be uploaded by the applicant IN PDF FORMAT (REQUIRED). Grants which are incomplete or do not follow the page limits or formatting guidelines will not be reviewed.

Applicants are encouraged to consult with their institution’s contracts and grants office for information regarding processing requirements for grant applications prior to submission and ensure compliance with institutional policies and procedures. While each institution’s policies differ, many require notification of intent to submit a proposal at least one month prior to the application submission deadline. Familiarize yourself with any institutional deadlines you must meet, and allow plenty of time for the review and authorization process, as well as delays or unforeseen circumstances that may arise. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

The application process consists of the following steps:

Applicants must create an application. The application link will go live in early April 2023.

Step 1
Complete the General Information section, which includes your contact information as well as the Primary and Secondary (if applicable) Institution information.

Step 2
Applicants must complete the SUS Member Research Mentor and Department Chair Information section. Please note: automatic emails from the SUS grant application system will be sent to both the Research Mentor and Department Chair requesting them to upload letters of recommendation directly as soon as they are added as a letter writer in your application. You should contact your letter writers in advance so that they know to expect the email. Applications are not considered complete until the letters have been received, therefore you should complete that section of the application well in advance of the deadline to allow your letter writers time to upload their letters.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

The following TWO letters of support must be included with your application for it to be considered complete:

  1. SUS MEMBER RESEARCH MENTOR: The letter from the SUS Member Research Mentor should cover the basics of recommendation-why they have chosen to be your mentor and their thoughts on your proposal, research, honors, publications, etc. They should indicate the value they feel in your participation/application and may choose to include comments regarding your abilities and your potential contributions to the field. The letter should also describe his/her mentorship track-record and outcome of previous trainees. The letter should also provide the mentorship plan, including information on research environment, salary, available laboratory space, plan for supervision, and other educational activities during the course of the award period. Please note: To meet the eligibility requirements, the SUS Member Research Mentor must be a member in good standing. They may check their member status by contacting Rachel Taylor in the SUS Membership Department at membership@susweb.org.
  2. DEPARTMENT CHAIR: The letter from the Chair (whether or not he/she is an SUS Member) should indicate the research capability of the applicant and the institutional support for the applicant and protected time available for the pursuit of research, as well as confirmation that the institution will not subject the award to an indirect costs tax. Note: If you are conducting your research at a Secondary Institution, the letter should come from the Chair at your home institution.

**If your SUS Member Research Mentor is also the Department Chair, they will need to submit two letters addressing the specific requirements for each letter as stated above.

Step 3
Applicants must complete the research section of the application, titled Supporting Documents in the online system. The Supporting Documents include the following:

Research Application

Applications must use either 11 pt. Arial or 12 pt. Times Roman font. There is a 5 page limit (inclusive of references) with standard one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages, including continuation pages. No information should appear in the margins, including the PD/PI’s name and page numbers. The recommended structure of the research application is as follows:

  • Hypothesis and Specific Aims (1 page)
  • Significance and Innovation (1 page)
  • Approach (2 pages)
  • Career Plan (1/2 page)
  • References (1/2 page)

Preliminary data can be included in the Approach Section. Grants which are incomplete or do not follow the format specifications will not be reviewed.

Institutional Authorization Form

Approvals must be submitted from the Chair of the Department or the administration (Dean or Fiscal Officer) of the institution in which the research will be performed verifying various institutional requirements and approvals (e.g. research, administration, human subjects and animal care committee, approvals etc.). Applicants must download the Award Authorization Form (the form is available for download online) and must upload it to the application once the signatures and approval have been received. Animal or Human Subject Authorization: Approvals must be submitted for the use of animal or human subjects, if appropriate. The SUS would not fund a project which might not receive animal use committee approval.  IRB and IACUC can be stated as pending, but would need to be approved and submitted prior to the start of the award funding (by August 1, 2023). An approved IRB may be submitted as the “human rights” authorized officer. This information is included in the Authorization Form. Note: If you have already received IRB approval, you should merge the approval letter/notification with your authorization form for upload.

Click here to download the authorization form.

Biosketches

All biosketches are required to follow the most recent published NIH format and a sample can be found at:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm

A biosketch is required and must be uploaded for each of the following:

  • Applicant Biosketch – Please be sure to include an additional section on previous research experience.
  • SUS Member Research Mentor Biosketch:  You are required to upload the biosketch of your SUS Member Research Mentor. Biosketches should also be provided for any mentors significantly involved in the project. If you have multiple biosketches to upload, please combine them in to one single PDF.

Each biosketch should include the items outlined below:

  • Education and Training:  Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional training, and include postdoctoral training.
  • Positions and Honors:  List honors and previous positions, including your present position, in chronological order.
  • Peer-reviewed Publications:  Please list only peer-reviewed publications and manuscripts that have been accepted for publication. Do not list abstracts, manuscripts submitted or in preparation, invited commentaries, letters to editors, lectures, presentations, non peer-reviewed articles or book chapters.
  • Research Experience:  List both ongoing and completed research projects.

Facilities and Resources Description Document

Upload a description of the Facilities and Resources available to the applicant that will exist during the time of the award.

Budget Document

Upload a proposed budget. There is no specific template required for the budget document.

SUS AWARD CONTACTS:

For questions regarding the award award eligibility or qualifications, authorizations and application content, contact SUS Senior Coordinator Catherine Sutherland in the SUS office at: (310)986-6442, ext. 107, or by email: info@susweb.org.

For questions regarding SUS Member status, contact SUS Membership Services Coordinator, Rachel Taylor at: (310) 986-6442 x 138 or membership@susweb.org.