Research Scholar Testimonial List
Mark Ferguson, University of Chicago, Dept. of Surgery
Edward D. Churchill Research Scholarship, 1986 – 1988
“I was privileged to receive the first AATS research scholarship 1986-88, named in honor of Edward D. Churchill. Research funding for young surgeons at that time was difficult to find, and the scholarship was invaluable in allowing me to obtain equipment necessary for my study of vascular endothelial-smooth muscle interactions. The research made possible by this funding was key to my academic development, leading to presentations of my basic science work at several national meetings and subsequent promotion at the earliest possible time interval.”
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David H. Adams, M.D., Mount Sinai Medical Center
Alton Ochsner Research Scholar, 1992-1994
1. How did the AATS research scholarship help you in the advancement of your career as a CT surgeon?
“I was very fortunate to be awarded the Alton Ochsner Research Scholarship 1992-1994. The award opened the door to my initial faculty appointment under Dr. Lawrence Cohn at Brigham and Women’s Hospital… Without question the AATS award prepared me for later research opportunities, which helped me advance from a young academic cardiac surgeon to Professor and Chairman of a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.”
2. Was the award helpful in providing seed work which ultimately led to NIH (or other) grants?
“As a direct result of this award, I was later in the position to become the Principal Investigator of an industry sponsored research grant ($300K annual direct costs, 1997-2001) and Director of the Primate Xenotransplantation Laboratory at the Brigham.”
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Mehmet C. Oz, Columbia University
Robert E. Gross Research Scholar, 1994-1996
"The Grose scholarship catapulted me ahead by funding my earliest work when no other funding agency was comfortable with my limited track record. Our team was able to leverage the successful research enabled by the grant into a career of larger grants as I pursued a tenure track career. Numerous publications emanated from both the initial work and subsequent project. More importantly, this research facilitated my assuming a leadership position in the Columbia University laboratories where many students, residents, and junior attendings benefitted from the lessons learned from with the support of the Grose scholarship."
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Thoralf M. Sundt, M.D., Mayo Clinic
Robert E. Gross Research Scholar, 1994-1996
"The AATS research scholarship was a critical first step in launching my academic career. It confirmed for me the commitment of the AATS to my academic advancement personally, and certainly helped to establish my position within my home institution as a scholarly clinician. This played a critical role in my advancement and ultimately receipt of tenure at Washington University."
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Stephen C. Yang, M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Andrew G. Morrow Research Scholar, 1997-1999
1. How did the AATS research scholarship help you in the advancement of your career as a CT surgeon?
“Obviously it was a great honor to receive this award, especially when it was named after one of Johns Hopkins great surgeons and researchers, Andrew Morrow. It was at a time when my career needed a great boost and to get a nationally recognized award from my peers, I felt was more important for a thoracic surgeon than say an NCI award. “
2. Was the award helpful in providing seed work which ultimately led to NIH (or other) grants?
“It was very critical in helping with seed money from other organizations, and support further research and renewal of our institution's lung SPORE grant.”
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Joseph B. Shrager M.D., University of Pennsylvania
Second Edward D. Churchill Research Scholar, 1999-2001
"The Churchill Research Scholarship Award was critical in my development as an academic surgeon. During the period of time before one has enough preliminary data to successfully compete for national funding, this award allowed me to move forward aggressively with my research program without being overly concerned about costs. The work funded by the AATS award led to 2 publications and ultimately to national funding in the form of both VA Merit Review and NIH grants…In addition to providing funding at a critical time, though, the scholarship was also a great benefit to me in less concrete ways: it put my name out there in the academic thoracic surgical community, allowing me to make contacts that ultimately proved important in my career."
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Abbas Ardehali M.D., UCLA School of Medicine
Second Alfred Blalock Research Scholar, 2000-2002
“The Second Alfred Blalock Research Scholarship was instrumental in advancement of my career as an academic cardiothoracic surgeon. It provided seed money at a critical point in my career to accumulate preliminary data to apply for extramural funding.”
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Yolonda L. Colson, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Second Alton Ochsner Research Scholar 2002-2004
1. How did the AATS research scholarship help you in the advancement of your career as a CT surgeon?
"Receiving a named award such as the Alton Ochsner Research Scholarship validates the decision to dedicate your time and effort to pursuing academic cardiothoracic surgery and basic science research in particular. This award recognizes that one of the major deterrents to starting a research career is balancing the obligations of launching a clinical practice to pay salary and costs vs the obligation of time to build a research focus that can bring practical value to cardiothoracic surgery and patient care."
2. Was the award helpful in providing seed work which ultimately led to NIH (or other) grants?
"The work and dedicated time sponsored by this award resulted in the submission and funding of an NIH-RO1 award within about year of receiving the AATS scholarship. This NIH grant has since allowed an increased research effort which over the intervening years has resulted in several other research projects, patents and another NIH-R01 grant."
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Vivek Rao, Toronto General Hospital
Second Robert E. Gross Research Scholar, 2003- 2005
1. The AATS research scholarship was used to buy essential laboratory instruments to complete my proposed animal experiments. As this was my first extramural source of funding, it was vital in establishing the basic equipment in my lab.
2. Based upon the work supported by my AATS scholarship, I was successful in obtaining peer-reviewed funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (our version of the AHA) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (similar to the NIH)
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