Stephanie Watts Career Development Award

• Applicants must be members of the Council on Hypertension or Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease at the time of application. If you need to become a Professional Member, you should do so before submitting your abstract and award application materials. Join or renew today!
• Applicant must be active in research and still be in training as an undergraduate or pre-doctoral student or be active in research and within 10 years of completing medical fellowship (or residency as NIH states, MDs would be Fellows for 3-6 years of the 7-10), terminal degree or highest certificate (e.g., MSc, PhD), as of the award application date.
• Applicants currently owning a DSI 4-animal telemetry system are not eligible for this award. Requests to change the scope of the award or use the award to upgrade an existing telemetry system will not be considered.
• Applicants must have a minimum of 75% protected research time to qualify for this award.
• Funding requirements: Applicants are not required to have current funding; however, for applicants who are not funded, they must be working in collaboration with a senior mentor active in hypertension or cardiovascular research.
• Since this award is for early career investigators, researchers who have secured funding similar to an R01 (or equivalent), or in excess of $300,000/year in direct costs will be ineligible.
• Previous winners are not eligible to re-enter the competition in subsequent years.
• Early Career Investigators may apply for other abstract-based awards presented at the Hypertension Scientific Sessions but may only be selected for one award per meeting.
• Previous members of the Trainee Advocacy Committee are eligible to receive apply for the Watts award immediately after the end of their term.
• Selected finalists will be required to present their 3-minute project pitch at Hypertension Scientific Sessions where one awardee will be selected.
• 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 policy or positions or other potentially controversial issue relating to positioning or perception.

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

• Policies and Guiding Values
• Code of Ethics
• 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:

• Adherence to eligibility criteria
• Quality and originality of the manuscript
• Adherence to eligibility criteria
• Completeness and quality of application materials
• Scientific merit
• Presentation quality

• June 24, 2026, 6 p.m. (CDT) – Deadline to submit an abstract to Hypertension Scientific Sessions.
• June 30, 2026, 6 p.m. (CT) – Deadline to have an active Professional Membership.
• July 3, 2026, 6 p.m. (CT) – Deadline to apply for this award in the Council Awards System.
• August 2026 – Applicants are notified of their award status. Only those with an accepted abstract will be considered for selection.

The following items must be submitted through the Council Awards Application System for consideration for this award:

• Candidate Statement describing the applicant’s current research interests involving hypertension and anticipated path to independence, or career trajectory, specifically stating how the DSI system awarded will aid in career development.
• Project Proposal explaining how the DSI system, if awarded, will help the applicant’s research program and detailing the infrastructure given to the development of the project and applicant’s career progress. Limited to one-page.
• List of current/pending grant support and funding amount.
• Copy of abstract submitted to the conference.
• Support letter from institution/department head.
• Two recommendation letters, where one should not come from the same institution.
• Curriculum Vitae, including the most relevant publications (abstracts not necessary).
• Preceptor Statement: Statement of mentor’s support detailing grant support.
• Institution Statement: Statement from institution stating that the equipment can be moved with the investigator.

Note: Current members of the Council on Hypertension's Trainee Advocacy Committee cannot write letters of support or apply for this award.

Visit the Council Awards Application System to complete an application.

A Professional Heart Daily (PHD) username and password are required to access the system. If you are creating a PHD profile for the first time, please register using your Professional Membership ID number.

Membership Requirement

Professional Membership with the American Heart Association and affiliation with the Council on Hypertension are required for all applicants. Please allow 3–5 days for processing—do not wait until the deadline to Join or Renew.

Step-by-Step Instructions

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 log in to apply for an American Heart Association Council Awards.
   
   Note: The grant maker named “American Heart Association” in ProposalCentral refers to Research Awards and is a separate funder. Council Awards are listed under American Heart Association Council Awards.
   
   
4. Start Your Application:
   • Select Create New Proposal.
   • Filter by Grant Maker: Choose American Heart Association Council Awards.
   • From the Programs list, select: Hypertension Scientific Sessions Early Career Development Awards.
   • Click the Apply Now button.
   • Within the application, select the award: HTN Stephanie Watts Career Development 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)

The Council on Hypertension’s Trainee Advocacy Committee and Award’s Committee representatives will select up to three (3) finalists from applicants who apply. Selected finalists will be asked to present their 3-minute project pitch at the Hypertension Scientific Sessions where one winner will be selected.

The winner and finalists will receive:

• Engraved plaque
• One complimentary ticket to the Council on Hypertension Awards banquet

The winner will receive:

• A complete Data Sciences International (DSI) 4-animal telemetry system including: 4 telemetry implants, any necessary hardware (e.g., receivers, matrix, APR (if doing pressure)), a 4-channel acquisition Ponemah software license with BP and/or ECG analysis modules, and a computer.
• DSI will pay for shipping. Requests to change the scope of the award will not be considered.