Laennec Fellow in Training (FIT) Clinician Award

Award Recipients

2023 Reynaldo H. Sanchez, MD
2022 Ayesha Salahuddin, MD
2021 Vanessa Blumer, MD
2020 Sarah Chuzi
2019 Teresa Wang
2018 James S. Guseh
2017 Divanji Punag
2016 Daniel M. Blumenthal
2015 Mark D. Benson
2014 Natalia Berry
2013 Daniel L. Pelchovitz
2012 Pradeep Natarajan
2011 Chorba John
2010 David M. Dudzinski

Eligibility Criteria

Candidate must be enrolled as a fellow in a U.S. clinical cardiovascular fellowship training program at the time of presentation
Applicant must be active in research and within 10 years of completion of terminal degree or highest certificate (e.g., MSc, PhD), or within 10 years of completing medical fellowship or residency, as of the award application date. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, instructors, and research associates are welcome to apply.
All applicants for the Laennec Fellow in Training (FIT) Clinician Award sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology must be members of the AHA. If you need to become an AHA Professional Member, you should do so no later than one week prior to the application submission deadline for your membership to be processed in time for the application submission deadline. Learn more about becoming an AHA Professional Member.
Abstract must be submitted to one of the categories for presentation at Scientific Sessions in which the Council on Clinical Cardiology is the lead/primary sponsor. View a list of Council Awards and Travel Grants Available by Abstract Category and Community (PDF). Make sure that your abstract has been submitted in a category listed under the award for which you want to apply.
An individual may not compete for similar awards (Early Career Investigator awards) from the other American Heart Association scientific councils during the same scientific meeting.
Only one case study per candidate will be considered.
The applicant must be the first and presenting author, although the abstract may have co-authors. The presenting author of an accepted abstract must be registered for Scientific Sessions. Additional information about registration and fees may be found on the Scientific Sessions website.
Previous winners and finalists are not eligible to re-enter the competition in subsequent years. However, applicants may apply for a different award program in which they haven't previously been a winner or finalist
Abstracts associated with a published manuscript can be presented an AHA scientific event if the manuscript was published after the time the abstract was submitted to the event, however the abstract will not be published as a part of the journal publication.
Applicants must adhere to the AHA Embargo Policy.
The work covered by the abstract must not have been presented at a national or international meeting or world congress before the date and time of presentation at Scientific Sessions.
The abstract must comply with the General Abstracts Submission Guidelines (PDF) as outlined by the Committee on Scientific Sessions Program.
Case studies eligible for this award must be based upon projects that adhere to the American Heart Association’s policies governing all research awards, regardless of whether the project was funded by the American Heart Association. View the AHA's Research Award Policy which include (but are not limited to) research using human subjects or animals and stem cell research.
Notwithstanding the above, the AHA Officers have the discretion to determine eligibility for the award in extraordinary circumstances when there is an issue relating to AHA policy or positions or other potentially controversial issue relating to the positioning or perception of the AHA.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the Laennec/Post-Graduate Education Committee members. All eligible submissions will be considered. Applications will be evaluated on the:

Quality and merit of the case study and write up.
Fellows’ involvement in the clinical assessment and case management, as well as their demonstrated understanding of the pathophysiology.
Two letters of recommendation.
Oral abstract presentation at AHA Scientific Sessions (finalists only.) The finalist must be the presenter of his/her submission, and no alternates or proxy will be allowed.

How to Apply / Required Documents

Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is required. Hard copies of any part of the nomination cannot be accepted.

Your application form should contain the following documents in PDF format:

Case abstract in accordance with AHA rules and regulations for submitting abstracts to Scientific Sessions. This will be an abstract based on your case presentation. Please note that this abstract must first be submitted separately through the AHA's Scientific Sessions website before the abstract submission deadline. Visit Scientific Sessions to submit your abstract before submission of this award application. Note the abstract control number you receive after submission as you will need that for your award application form. The work covered by the submitted abstract must not have been presented at a national or international meeting before presentation at the AHA scientific event. If so, the abstract must be withdrawn.
An unpublished manuscript or manuscript in preparation (maximum 30 pages, double-spaced, including graphics) to be presented in the submitted abstract, based on clinical research involving patients or human subjects. Multi-center trials are not eligible. (35-page limitation, including references, tables, and figures.) The applicant must be the first and presenting author, although the manuscript may have co-authors. The work covered by the submitted abstract must not have been presented at a national or international meeting before presentation at the AHA scientific event. If so, the abstract must be withdrawn.
Curriculum vitae including bibliography.
Two letters of recommendation:
- One from the fellowship program director verifying that the candidate:
  - is enrolled in a U.S. fellowship program and in good standing
  - had a major role in the case, either diagnostic assessment or management.
  - Any other important attributes of the applicant
- The second from an individual familiar with the applicant's clinical acumen, background, or research.
- Importantly, both letters should provide sufficient detail to allow an adequate assessment of the applicant’s competitiveness for this award.

Visit the Council Awards Application System to complete an application.

A username and password previously set up through online registration at Professional Heart Daily (PHD) will be necessary to access the Application System. AHA Professional Members who are creating an online profile for the first time should make sure to register using their AHA membership identification numbers.

An active AHA Professional Membership is required of all applicants for this award. If you are joining the AHA to apply, please wait for your AHA member number to arrive from AHA Member Services via e-mail before creating an online profile and starting your application file. We suggest that new members join the AHA no later than one week prior to the application submission deadline for the member ID number to be processed and delivered in time for the application deadline. The membership number will be required on the award application form.

Click the link for the Council Awards Application System.
Sign in with your Professional Heart Daily username and password.
Follow these instructions to set up your profile in ProposalCentral. Setting up your ProposalCentral profile will only need to be done the first time you login to apply for an American Heart Association Council Awards. Please note that the grant maker named American Heart Association is for AHA Research Awards and is a separate log in.

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

Prize

Finalists for the early career investigator award competitions will be announced in August and will present their research results at Scientific Sessions in November. Each finalist must present their abstract in-person at Scientific Sessions. Virtual presentations or an alternate (proxy) presenter will not be permitted and will result in disqualification from the award.

Each finalist will receive one complimentary ticket to and recognition at the council dinner where they will be presented with an engraved award plaque. The winner will be announced at the dinner.
The winner will receive a $2,500 honorarium; up to four remaining finalists will each receive a $1,500 honorarium.
All case presentations may be submitted with guaranteed evaluation by Circulation Cardiovascular Case Series editors.