Deadline: June 14, 2013

The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) International Scholars Program provides scholarships to qualified young vascular surgeons from countries other than the United States or Canada. The four scholarships provide each scholar with an opportunity to participate in the 2014 Vascular Annual Meeting®, June 5-7, in Boston, MA, USA, and visit clinical, teaching, and research activities in the United States and Canada.

The winning scholars are publicly recognized at the Vascular Annual Meeting® and receive free admission to the postgraduate course plus admission to all lectures, demonstrations, and exhibits. The SVS International Relations Committee will assist the scholars in arranging visits following the SVS meeting to various clinics and universities of their choice.

Awards recipients are expected to arrange their schedules to fully benefit from both the Vascular Annual Meeting and time spent with mentors. Please plan to stay in the US for approximately two weeks to attend the meeting and allow additional time for visits to various clinics and universities. Visits may be scheduled prior to the meeting, post meeting, or a combination of both. Award recipients will work with mentors to schedule activities. A letter is required from each award recipients’ supervisor, indicating that dates of travel have been approved.​ 

The award includes a stipend of $5,000 USD, which will be given to scholars upon arrival to the 2014 SVS Annual Meeting.  International Scholars are responsible for making their own travel arrangements.  The stipend is to be used for  travel costs and living expenses associated with the visits.

Completed applications​ for the International Scholars Program for the year 2014 and all supporting documentation must be received by June 14, 2013 to be considered by the International Relations Committee. All applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision in August 2013 to allow sufficient time for arranging time off, travel, and visits to clinic and university sites in North America. Applicants are urged to submit their completed application and supporting documents as early as possible in order to provide sufficient time for processing.

Supporting materials and questions should be directed to membership@vascularsociety.org or 312-334-2306.

To qualify for consideration by the selection committee, all of the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• Applicant must be a graduate of a school of medicine
• Applicants must be at least 35 years old, but no older than 40, on the date that the completed application is filed
• Applicants must submit their applications from their intended permanent location. Applications will be accepted for processing only when the applicants have been in surgical practice, teaching, or research for a minimum of one year at the intended permanent location, following completion of all formal training (including fellowships and scholarships).
• Applicants must have demonstrated a commitment to teaching and/or research in accordance with the standards of the applicant’s country
• Applicants whose careers are in the developing stage are deemed more suitable than those who are serving in senior academic appointments
• Applicants must submit a completed application form provided by the Society on this page (download application above). The application and accompanying materials must be typewritten and in English. Submission of a curriculum vitae only is not acceptable
• Applicants must provide a list of all of their publications and must submit three complete publications (reprints or manuscripts) of their choice from that list
• Applicants must submit letters of recommendation from three of their colleagues. One letter must be from the chair of the department in which they hold academic appointment, or a member of the Society for Vascular Surgery residing in their country. The chair’s or the member’s letter is to include a specific statement detailing the nature and extent of the teaching and other academic involvement of the applicant
• Applicants are required to submit a curriculum vitae of no more than 10 pages
• Applicants must submit a photograph
• The International Scholars Program must be used in the year for which it is designated. It may not be postponed
• Applicants who are awarded scholarships are expected to provide a full written report of the experiences provided through the scholarships upon completion of their tours
• An unsuccessful applicant may reapply only twice and only by completing and submitting a current application form provided by SVS, together with new supporting documentation

Updated February 2013​​