Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke

To qualify for this award, you must meet the following deadlines:

• April 2, 2026 - Deadline to have an active AHA membership
• April 3, 2026, 6 p.m. (CT) - Deadline to apply for this award in the Council Awards System.
• Applicants will be notified of funding by June 30 via email.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include students enrolled in medical schools or in master's or equivalent programs at accredited institutions in the United States where research training in cardiovascular disease and stroke is available.

Individuals who have already earned an MD/PhD or PhD are not eligible, unless the previously earned PhD was in a field area unrelated to basic sciences.

Both the applicant and applicant's preceptor must be active members of the AHA at the time of application.

Awards are made to U.S.-based institutions where research training is available under qualified supervision. If a student conducts research at a location other than their home institution, they must obtain written approval from their dean or another institutional official.

Time Period

The typical applicant will conduct research over during the summer months.

The award supports students working on a project (or projects) over the summer or within a defined block of several months, not to extend beyond May 30 of the following calendar year.

Selection of Institutions and Students

A committee of representatives from the American Heart Association scientific councils will will evaluate proposals based on:

Up to five students from a single school within an institution may be considered; however, the scholarship committee reserves the right to fund only one applicant per institution each year. No student may receive this award more than once.

Preceptor

The student’s institution must appoint a preceptor responsible for guiding the student during the scholarship period. All scholarships are awarded with the understanding that the preceptor accepts full responsibility for the program.

How to Apply/Required Documents

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

A student may only apply for one of the three scholarship programs and should choose the program that is most relevant to his or her research.

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

1. Student Scholar Statement: The applicant must provide a thorough statement (minimum three pages, double-spaced) describing the purpose of the research project, the implications of the project, and what the student hopes to accomplish or discover during the research period. The statement must also include a list of relevant classes taken and current grade point average if GPA is used at the institution.
2. Preceptor Statement: The preceptor must provide a statement of the following:
   • A description of the proposed research program, including the facilities and personnel to be involved
   • A description of his or her responsibilities towards the student’s training, and other academic and administrative responsibilities
   • The duties and responsibilities of the student, the total duration and dates of the training period, and the specific education and training that will be provided
   • A listing of the preceptor’s research funding active during the proposed training period
   • A list of his/her trainees and project titles for the past five years
   • A description of the student selection process
   • Agreement (if selected) to accept responsibility for supervision of the project and to pay the entire scholarship amount to the Student Scholar as a stipend via his/her institution.
   • Any other supportive or referential information on behalf of the student
3. Student and preceptor curriculum vitae and bibliography: The applicant and preceptor must each provide an up-to-date curriculum vitae with full bibliography (if bibliography is applicable).
4. Approval Letter: If the student conducts the research at a location other than his/her home institution, he/she must have written approval of his/her dean or other responsible individual.
5. Letter of Recommendation: Up to three additional recommendation letters outside of the preceptor’s statement may be submitted in the file and are optional.
   
   • Reference letters should be from individuals familiar with the applicant's scientific interests, academic interests, and performance, research abilities, or a combination of these. The referee should address as many of these areas as possible regarding the student. The reference letter should not exceed one page.
   • Reference letters must be written on letterhead, and each letter should include the referee’s signature.
   • Reference letters will not be accepted via postal mail or electronically separate from the application file. Any letters must be uploaded to the Council Awards Application System within the application file to be considered.

Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is required.

An active AHA Professional Membership is required of all applicants and their preceptors 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 at Professional Heart Daily and starting your application file. 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 the instructions on this page 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.
   • How to Create an Application in ProposalCentral (PDF)
   • How to Register a ProposalCentral User (PDF)
   • How To Add Publications in ProposalCentral (PDF)