PVD FIT Travel Grant

• All applicants for the Travel Grant must be members of the American Heart Association with primary affiliation to the PVD Council at the time of application. If you need to become an AHA/ASA Member, you should do so no later than one week prior to the application submission deadline. Learn more about AHA Professional Membership.
• 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 are encouraged but not required to submit an abstract to Scientific Sessions, and only the “first/primary author” may apply. Please view a list of Scientific Sessions council awards and travel grants available by abstract category and community (PDF).
• The applicant must be the abstract presenter.
• 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 or positions or other potentially controversial issue relating to the positioning or perception of the AHA.
• Winners are not eligible to receive a grant for the same award in subsequent years.
• Each recipient of AHA council-sponsored awards, regardless of award category, is eligible to receive only one council-sponsored award each year per AHA scientific meeting. (For example, an Early Career Investigator Award finalist will not be eligible to receive a travel stipend for the same meeting.)
• There are no citizenship requirements.

The application will be judged by a panel of AHA volunteers from the Peripheral Vascular Disease Planning Committee. Criteria includes:

• Demonstrated commitment and interest in identifying and treating patients with peripheral vascular disease.
• Applicant’s potential to make an impact in the care and treatment of patients with peripheral vascular disease.
• Applicant’s record of accomplishments, as evidenced in CV by length and type of service, awards, etc.

• August 18, 2025 – Deadline to have an active AHA professional membership with the council sponsoring th 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.
• August 22, 2025, 6 p.m. (CDT) – Deadline to apply for the award in the Council Awards Application System. This deadline will not be extended.
• September 2025 – 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 include the following documents in PDF format:

• Candidate Curriculum Vitae and Bibliography
• Candidate Personal Statement: One-page statement describing the applicant’s current interest/commitment to the care of patients with peripheral vascular disease and why they would benefit from attending Scientific Sessions and the PVD Council dinner.
• Letter of Support: One-page letter on electronic letterhead, signed by the candidate’s mentor, section chief or department chair, which includes the following:
  • Verification that applicant is a vascular/cardiovascular post-graduate trainee or junior faculty
  • Referent’s relationship to the applicant
  • Referent’s opinion as to the potential of the applicant to make an impact in future work surrounding care and treatment of peripheral vascular disorders.
  • Referent’s knowledge of prior accomplishments of applicant in the domain of peripheral vascular disease.

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 Travel Grants (abstracts not 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)

Each winner will receive:

• $750 grant to help offset costs of attending Scientific Sessions.
• One complimentary ticket to the PVD Council dinner. Attendance at Scientific Sessions and the PVD Council dinner are mandatory and will be verified before the grant is awarded.

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