Early Career Awards

Early career investigators are PhDs and/or MDs who are still in training or have completed training within the last four years; or PhDs and/or MDs who are still within in the first four years after their first faculty appointment as of the award application date.

Early Career Investigator awards are designed to recognize endeavors by early career investigators in research activities and to encourage continued research careers. Early Career Investigator awards must also comply with the rules and guidelines developed by the Committee on Scientific Sessions Program if held in conjunction with the Scientific Sessions or Specialty Meetings.

Applicants must submit their abstract for Scientific Sessions by the abstract submission deadline to be eligible for abstract related awards. Abstract results and presentations are prohibited from release until AHA embargo date and time (5 a.m. ET/4 a.m. CT, Monday, November 9, 2020). You will be contacted by AHA communications if you are selected to participate in an AHA news event.

Eligibility Criteria

• Early Career Investigator Awards applicants and applicant sponsors must be partners of the AHA sponsoring scientific council at the time of application. If you need to become an AHA Professional Partner, you should do so no later than May 30 for your partner account to be processed in time for the application submission deadline. Learn more about becoming an AHA Professional Partner.
• An individual may not compete for similar Early Career Investigator awards from other American Heart Association scientific councils that will be presented at the same meeting.
• Previous winners and finalists for these awards are not eligible to re-enter the same competition in subsequent years. However, applicants may apply for a different award program in which they haven't previously been a winner or finalist.
• Only one manuscript and abstract per candidate will be considered for awards. The manuscript may have co-authors, but the applicant must be the first and presenting author. The presenting author of an accepted abstract must be registered for the Scientific Meeting. 
• There are no citizenship requirements for these awards.
• Women and under-represented minorities are encouraged to apply.

Evaluation Criteria

Panels of distinguished researchers, scientists, nurses, clinicians and academicians representing the breadth of cardiovascular disease and stroke will judge applications. Awards that do not involve abstracts may use different evaluation criteria. Please consult the specific award Web page for detailed evaluation criteria.

How to Apply

Please see the individual award information pages below for specific documents required when submitting an application file. Awards requiring an abstract must be submitted through the AHA's Scientific Sessions before the online submission site abstract deadline. Your abstract control number will be needed on the award application form.

All applicants for awards associated with the AHA Scientific Sessions in November should submit applications through the Council Awards & Fellowships Application System(link opens in new window) unless directed otherwise. Hard copies of any part of the application cannot be accepted.

A username and password set up through online registration at Professional Heart Daily will be necessary to access the Council Awards & Fellowships Application System. If you have not created an online profile yet, you may do so as you enter the Application System by clicking Sign Up next to the Log In button on the sign-in page. AHA Professional Partners who are creating an online profile for the first time should make sure to register using their AHA partner identification numbers.