EPI Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups Travel Grant

To qualify for this EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions 2025 award, you must meet the following deadlines:

• October 30, 2024 – Deadline to have an active AHA membership with this Council.
• November 1, 2024 at 6 p.m. (CT) – Deadline to apply for award in the Council Awards System.

The American Heart Association’s Council on Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI) is offering a travel grant to underrepresented racial and ethnic early career investigators and students to attend the EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions. Increased underrepresented racial and ethnic participation at AHA scientific conferences is vital to the AHA and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention's efforts to address cardiovascular-related health disparities.

Eligibility Criteria

• All applicants for the EPI Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups Travel Grant must be members of the EPI Council at the time of application. If you need to become an AHA Professional Member, you should do so no later than one week prior to the award deadline for your member account to be processed in time. Learn more about AHA Professional Membership.
• The individual must be from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis: This includes Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders. Other candidates considered a minority are those from medically underserved populations with low socio-economic status and those living in rural areas to include whites.
• The candidate must be a U.S. citizen, a noncitizen national (born in American Samoa or Swains Island), or a U.S. permanent resident.
• Applicant must be active in research and still be in training as an undergraduate or pre-doctoral student, or be 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., BSc, MSc).
• The candidate must be conducting epidemiology research in the field of cardiovascular disease.
• Previous winners of this grant are not eligible to apply.
• Each applicant for AHA council-sponsored awards, regardless of award category, is eligible to receive only one council-sponsored award per AHA conference per year. (For example, an Early Career Investigator Award finalist will not be eligible to receive a travel grant for the same meeting.)

How To Apply/Required Documents

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

• A thorough letter of recommendation by a mentor, section chief or department chair that includes the following:
  • Candidate's grounds for eligibility, including verification that he or she is part of an underrepresented racial and ethnic group as defined by the NIH and identification of the candidate's specific underrepresented racial and ethnic group.
  • Candidate's key accomplishments to date (or other forms of demonstrated excellence and recognition in the case of very junior trainees)
  • Assessment of candidate's relevant scientific attributes (intellectual curiosity, drive, critical thinking, problem-solving), and potential for future success as a competitive investigator
• Curriculum vitae, including bibliography. 

Visit the ProposalCentral Council Awards Applicant Instructions page to apply or submit a nomination.

Once logged in, you may apply for the EPI-Lifestyle Scientific Sessions Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups (UREG) Travel Grants and select the EPI UREG Travel Grant from the award drop-down list.

Prize

Each winner will receive:

• $1,000 grant to help offset costs of attending EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions.
• One complimentary ticket to the Epidemiology and Prevention Council’s Annual Dinner. Attendance at EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions and the EPI Council dinner are mandatory and will be verified before the grant is awarded.

Awardees will be required to pay their registration for the meeting and should register prior to the discounted early registration rate deadline.

• For rules and regulations for submitting abstracts to the EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions, visit Abstract Submission Guidelines
• Join or renew as an AHA Professional Member

• Council Awards Application System (ProposalCentral) Help Desk: [email protected]
• Council Awards: [email protected]
• Member Services: [email protected]
• Password/Login: [email protected]
• Abstract Submission: [email protected]