ATVB Council Travel Stipend for Scientific Sessions (Abstract Required)

• 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.
• Applicants must be members of the American Heart Association Scientific Council sponsoring this award. Your council affiliation will be validated during the application process. Membership must be completed online. Please note that membership processing may take 3-5 days; do not wait until the proposal deadline to Join or Renew.

• Applicants must submit an abstract to one of the categories for presentation at Scientific Sessions sponsored by the American Heart Association Scientific Council sponsoring this award. Make sure that your abstract has been submitted in a category listed under the award for which you want to apply (PDF).
• The abstract must be accepted to Scientific Sessions and receive a grade that places it in the top 20 percent of the abstracts in its category.
• The presenting author of an accepted abstract must be registered for Scientific Sessions and must be able to present the abstract at Scientific Sessions in person, either in an oral abstract session or a poster session. If the applicant is unable to present the abstract, he/she will be disqualified.
• Applicants may apply for a travel stipend multiple times with different abstracts as long as the applicant is the presenting author on each abstract. However, an applicant is eligible to receive only one travel stipend, even if multiple abstracts are accepted to Scientific Sessions
• Each applicant for council-sponsored awards, regardless of award category, is eligible to receive only one council-sponsored stipend per American Heart Association meeting per year. (For example, an Early Career Investigator Award finalist will not be eligible to receive a travel stipend for the same conference.)
• Winners are not eligible to apply in subsequent years.
• Applicants must adhere to the American Heart Association's 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 Heart Association's Abstract Submission Guidelines as outlined by the Scientific Sessions Program Committee.
• Notwithstanding the above, the Association's Officers have the discretion to determine eligibility for the award in extraordinary circumstances when there is an issue relating to American Heart Association policy, positions or other potentially controversial issue relating to the positioning or perception of the Association.

Applications will be evaluated based on the scientific scoring of the applicant’s abstract accepted for presentation (oral or poster) at Scientific Sessions.

Abstract acceptance is required for travel stipend consideration. Scientific Sessions abstract acceptance notifications are issued by the American Heart Association in mid August; therefore, applicants may choose to submit their travel stipend application after receiving presenter confirmation.

• June 4, 2026, 9 a.m. (CDT) – Deadline to submit an abstract to Scientific Sessions 2026.
• August 19, 2026 – Deadline to have an active professional membership with the council sponsoring the award. Please note that membership processing may take 3-5 days; do not wait until the proposal deadline to Join or Renew.
• August 21, 2026, 6 p.m. (CDT) – Deadline to apply for this award in the Council Awards Application System. This deadline will not be extended.
• September 2026 – Applicants are notified of their award status (selected or not selected).

Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is mandatory. Hard copies of any part of the application will not be accepted.

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

• Candidate Curriculum Vitae and Bibliography
• Abstract: A copy of the abstract submitted for presentation at Scientific Sessions, in accordance with American Heart Association's rules and regulations. The candidate must be the first and presenting author on the abstract. Please note your abstract control number received after submission, as it will be needed on your award application form.
• Letter of Support: Original letter on electronic letterhead, signed by the candidate’s supervisor or an appropriate institutional officer, simply indicating the applicant’s status as a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, instructor, or research fellow. No additional references are required.

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. Professional Members who are creating an online profile for the first time should make sure to register using their membership identification numbers.

An active Professional Membership is required of all applicants for this award. If you are joining the American Heart Association to apply, please wait for your member number to arrive from Member Services via e-mail before creating an online profile and starting your application file. We suggest that new members join 2-3 days before 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.

1. Click the link for the Council Awards Application System.
2. Sign in with your Professional Heart Daily username and password.
3. 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 Research Awards and is a separate log in.
4. To apply for award, follow these steps:
   • Create New Proposal: Start by selecting "Create New Proposal."
   • Filter by Grant Maker: Choose "American Heart Association Council Awards."
   • Select Program: From the Programs list, select "Scientific Sessions Abstract Travel Stipends (Abstract Required)"
   • Apply Now: Click the "Apply Now" button.
   • Choose Award: Within the application, select the travel stipend.

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

• How to Create an Application in ProposalCentral (PDF)
• How to Register a ProposalCentral User (PDF)
• How To Add Publications in ProposalCentral (PDF)

Each winner will receive:

• $500 travel stipend
• One complimentary ticket to the ATVB Early Career Networking Reception and the ATVB Luncheon. Attendance at Scientific Sessions and the council hosted events are mandatory and will be verified before the travel stipend is awarded.

Awardees will be notified in September and will be required to pay their registration for the meeting.