Program Description, Eligibility and Peer Review Criteria

Success Rate

Objectives
The purpose of this undergraduate research training program is to encourage promising students from all disciplines, including women and members of minority groups underrepresented in the sciences, to consider research careers while supporting the highest quality scientific investigation broadly related to cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Science Focus
Funding is available for research broadly related to cardiovascular function and disease, stroke, or to related clinical, basic science, and public health problems. Candidates should be interested in basic, epidemiological and/or clinical disciplines that bear on cardiovascular and stroke problems. The extent to which the focus of the project is related to CVD and/or stroke is an important factor that will be considered. However, the applicant is not required to be a part of cardiovascular/stroke-oriented laboratory, clinic or department.

The laboratory/research site sponsor and institution are responsible for disclosing the nature of research and activities taking place where the student will be conducting research, and the safety or health-hazards/risks which are known or reasonably likely to be encountered. Students are responsible for learning and following appropriate safety procedures.

Students will not receive college credit for their summer research activities. Therefore, participation in the program will not appear on an official transcript from the institution where the student is assigned. 
 

Target Audience
At the time of application, the undergraduate student must:

• be enrolled full-time in an undergraduate degree program in either a four-year college or university, or a two year institution with plans to transfer to a four-year college or university by the fall semester immediately following the summer program.
    
• have junior or senior academic status in the fall of given year. Students who will graduate in September or before are not eligible.
  
  
• have completed at least four semesters or six quarters of any combination of the following courses by May, preceding the summer fellowship; Biological sciences (biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, physiology or lab) and/or Physics and/or Chemistry (inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry or lab). 
   
• have completed at least one quarter of college level or AP credit calculus, statistics, computational methods or computer science by May, preceding the summer fellowship.

Citizenship
At the time of application, must have one of the following designations:

• U.S. citizen
• Permanent resident 
• Pending permanent resident.  Applicants must have applied for permanent residency and have filed form I-485 with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and have received authorization to legally remain in the United States (having filed an Application for Employment Form I-765).
• J-1 Visa -- exchange visitor
• E-3 Visa -- specialty occupation worker
• H1-B Visa -- temporary worker in a specialty occupation
• TN Visa - NAFTA professional
• O-1 Visa - temporary worker with extraordinary abilities in the sciences
• F-1 Visa - student visa 

Awardees must meet American Heart Association citizenship criteria throughout the duration of the award.

Applicants are not required to reside in the United States for any period of time before applying for American Heart Association funding.

Program Structure

Location of Work

American Heart Association research awards are limited to non-profit institutions, including: medical, osteopathic and dental schools, veterinary schools, schools of public health, pharmacy schools, nursing schools, universities and colleges, public and voluntary hospitals and others that can demonstrate the ability to conduct the proposed research.

Applications will not be accepted for work with funding to be administered through any federal institution or work to be performed by a federal employee, except for Veterans Administrations employees. 

Budget/Annual Award Amount Trainee Stipend/Salary:  $4,000 for the summer research experience ($400/per week) Payment will be made to the institution for disbursement to the fellow.  Faculty mentor and institution assume fiscal responsibility. The institution may supplement the award amount. The award is for educational purposes and does not constitute an employee-employer relationship between the student and the American Heart Association. Direct use of award funds to pay tuition is prohibited. The AHA will not pay dependent allowances. Students accepted into the program are responsible for arranging housing and transportation. Because the student receives only a stipend from these awards, additional research support for the proposed project must come from the institution or sponsor's laboratory.  The availability of additional funds should be clearly described by the sponsor.  The student and the supervisor will determine the number of hours and days the student will spend at the research site.  The student is expected to devote full-time effort (40 hours per week) for a minimum of 10 weeks to research activities. Duration:  10 weeks minimum (commences in June) Total Award Amount:  $4,000

Peer Review Criteria

1. Does the student have potential for a research career? If the student has prior research experience, how will they benefit from the summer research program (ex.: new techniques learned)?
   
2. Is this supported by the student's academic record and the assessment provided by the letters of reference?
   
3. How well-rounded are the student's interests?
   
4. Has the student augmented his/her school work with extracurricular activities related to his/her school work?
   
5. How well-formed are the student's career objectives? How does the summer research program contribute to these objectives?
   
6. Will this program provide the student with his/her first exposure to research? If the student has already had a research experience, discuss how this will be augmented with the requested program.
   
7. Are there special circumstances, ethnic, financial, physical or social, that require special consideration?
   
8. If applying as a student/sponsor team, what is the sponsor's assessment of the applicant?

1. Is the mentor an independent investigator?
   
2. Does the mentor have the experience to direct the proposed research training, as evidenced by their track record regarding productivity, funding and prior trainees?
   
3. Does the mentor have adequate current funding to support the student's work?
   
4. Does the mentor provide a comprehensive training plan that will facilitate the student's progress towards his/her research career goals?
   
5. What is the level of commitment of the mentor towards the development of the student? How involved will the mentor be in the daily supervision of the student?
   
6. Are appropriate plans in place to orient the student to the laboratory or research site?

1. Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success for the training experience?
   
2. Is there evidence of institutional commitment?

1. Significance: Does this project address an important problem broadly related to cardiovascular disease or stroke? Is there a clear rationale for the project? What is the likelihood that the research will result in a presentation or publication including the student?
   
   
2. Approach: Is the proposed approach appropriate to accomplish the stated research goal(s)? Are the student's role and responsibilities clearly defined? Are there additional educational aspects of the summer program that the student will benefit from (e.g., participation in journal clubs, observation at research meetings, clinical rounds, etc.)?

Applicants should never contact reviewers regarding their applications.  Discussing scientific content of an application or attempting to influence review outcome will constitute a conflict of interest in the review.  Reviewers must notify the AHA if an applicant contacts them.

Restrictions

• The fellow cannot hold a comparable award as a source of supplementation.
  
• An applicant may submit only one affiliate application per deadline.
  
• No lab can have more than two AHA undergraduate awardees.
  
• An applicant who is unsuccessful in a competition may resubmit the same or similar application two times (the original plus one resubmission). The same or similar application submitted for the third time will be administratively withdrawn.

LIST OF POTENTIAL SPONSORS AND LABS

State	Institution & Contact
Arkansas	University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Nursing Jean McSweeney, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN Phone: (501) 296-1982 Fax: (501) 296-1765 Email: mcsweeneyjeanc@uams.edu   University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Steven Post, PhD Phone: (501) 526-6046 Email: spost@uams.edu
Colorado	Colorado State University Jeffrey Wilusz, PhD Phone: (970) 491-0652 Fax :  (970) 491-1815 Email:  jeffrey.wilusz@colostate.edu   University Colorado, Denver Karen S. Moulton, MD Phone: (303) 724-5443 Email:  Karen.moulton@ucdenver.edu
New Mexico	University of New Mexico Thomas C. Resta, PhD Phone: (505) 272-8822 Fax: (505) 272-6649 Email:   tresta@salud.unm.edu Benjimen R. Walker, PhD Phone:(505)272-0619 bwalker@salud.unm.edu     Nikki Jernigan, PhD Office: (505) 925-4493 Lab: 505-272-0622 njernigan@salud.unm.edu   Laura Gonzalez Bosc , PhD Phone: (505) 272-5556 lgonzalezbosc@salud.unm.edu
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State University Myron Hinsdale, DVM, PhD Phone: (405) 744-8107 Email:   myron.hinsdale@okstate.edu   University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Zhongjie Sun, MD, PhD, FAHA Phone: (405) 271-2226 x 56237 Fax: (405) 271-3181 Email. zhongjie-sun@ouhsc.edu
Texas	Baylor College of Medicine James F. Martin, MD Email: jfmartin@Bcm.edu   University of Texas Medical Branch Ken Fujise, MD, FACC, FACP, FAHA, FSCAI Phone; (409) 772- 4885  FAX; (409) 772- 4982 Email Ken.Fujise@utmb.edu