Melvin L. Marcus Early Career Investigator Award in Basic Cardiovascular Sciences

• Applicants must be actively engaged in research and meet one of the following requirements at the time of application:
  • Graduate students
  • Doctoral students
  • Postdoctoral fellows within the first 2 years of their appointment (Assistant Professors and higher are not eligible).
  Note: Those with a faculty appointment or with an R01/VA merit or equivalent award as of the application date are not eligible to apply.
• To be eligible to apply, applicants and their sponsors must be AHA professional members of the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences. 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 AHA 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).
• Only one abstract per candidate will be considered.
• Applicants must provide their unpublished manuscript or manuscript in preparation at the time of application. The applicant must be the first and presenting author, although the manuscript may have co-authors.
• The presenting author of an accepted abstract must be registered for Scientific Sessions.
• An individual may not compete for other award competitions during the same scientific meeting.
• Previous winners, runner ups, and finalists are not eligible to re-enter the competition in subsequent years.
• 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 AHA Abstract Submission Guidelines as outlined by the Scientific Sessions Program Committee.
• 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, positions or other potentially controversial issue relating to the positioning or perception of the AHA.

Applications will be judged by a panel of accomplished researchers, scientists, clinicians and academicians representing the breadth of cardiovascular sciences.

• AHA Policies and Guiding Values
• Code of Ethics
• AHA’s Peer Reviewer Certification Statement (PDF)

Contacting the judging panel, including but not limited to phone calls, emails, social media messages, or any other form of communication, before submitting your application or during the review process will result in disqualification.

Applications will be judged on the following:

• Scientific merit of the abstract
• Quality and originality of the manuscript
• Candidate's curriculum vitae and bibliography
• Letter from the candidate's sponsor
• Two additional letters of support
• Oral abstract presentation at Scientific Sessions (finalists only). The finalist must present in person; no alternates proxies are allowed.

• June 1, 2025 – Deadline to have an active AHA professional membership with the council sponsoring the award. 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.
• June 5, 2025, 6 p.m. (CDT) – Deadline to submit an abstract to Scientific Sessions 2025.
• June 6, 2025, 6 p.m. (CDT) – Deadline to apply for the award in the Council Awards Application System. This deadline will not be extended.
• August 2025 – Applicants are notified of their award status (selected or not selected). Only those with an accepted abstract will be considered for selection.

Please read these instructions carefully. The review committee will not consider incomplete applications.

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:

• Curriculum Vitae and bibliography
• Abstract: A copy of the abstract submitted for presentation at Scientific Sessions, in accordance with AHA 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.
• Manuscript: An unpublished manuscript or manuscript in preparation based on independent research to be presented in the submitted abstract. (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.
• Letter of Support: A letter detailing how much of the design and research work was done by the candidate and by any co-investigators. The candidate's immediate supervisor, division head, department chairman, or institute director must write this statement. In case of multi-authored manuscripts, the supervisor should also indicate that among all the co-authors the applicant is the most appropriate candidate for the award and offer rationale for this opinion. Supportive statements of the candidate and his or her relevant qualifications as a researcher are also encouraged.
• Optional Letters of Support: Up to two additional letters of support or reference from individuals familiar with the applicant, their background, or their research may be submitted. While not required, these letters can be beneficial but do not guarantee higher consideration of the application.

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 $1,500 honorarium; up to four remaining finalists will each receive a $500 honorarium.

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.

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 AHA 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 Early Career Abstract Award Competitions (Manuscript required)."
   • Apply Now: Click the "Apply Now" button.
   • Choose Award: Within the application, select the award.
   • For more detailed information on ProposalCentral, also included are additional materials on specific ProposalCentral functionality.
     1. How to Create an Application in ProposalCentral (PDF)
     2. How to Register a ProposalCentral User (PDF)
     3. How To Add Publications in ProposalCentral (PDF)