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Aortic Training Fellowship

Program Overview

The AATS Foundation Aortic Training Fellowship affords awardees the opportunity to be hosted by Dr. Li-Zhong Sun at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University in Beijing, China. This program enables fellows to help care for the patient population in Beijing and surrounding areas who may otherwise not get treatment because of lack of financial resources and/or surgeons available to attend to their preoperative, operative, and postoperative needs.

The overall goal of the program is to expose fellows to the care of 60-120 cases of acute aortic dissection for  3-6 months  and provides successful applicants with a grant of up to $60,000 to defray the costs of roundtrip travel to Beijing Anzhen Hospital and accommodations for the duration of the program.

Dr. Li-Zhong Sun's team at Beijing Anzhen Hospital has one of the largest case volumes of aortic dissection, exceeding 1,200 cases a year. Team members at Beijing Anzhen Hospital are capable of training the fellow in English. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • National and international cardiothoracic surgeons who have recently completed an accredited residency training program within the past the past two to five (2-5) years who are seeking an opportunity to spend time doing hands-on training. 

Application Process

In addition to a formal online application, candidates will be required to upload the following materials:

  • Curriculum Vitae;
  • Letters of support, including reference to candidates technical skill level;
  • One to two-page narrative to include: 1) what they hope to accomplish during the Fellowship; (2) the relationship of the planned study to the applicant's prior work, preparation and professional goal; and (3) statement of future career goals.

At the conclusion of their experience a final report by the awardee is required for submission to the AATS Foundation.

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by the AATS Foundation's Fellowship Review Committee and graded on all aspects of the award criteria. The Review Committee will select only one awardee per application cycle, unless extenuating circumstances provide the opportunity to support two awardees. Top candidates may be required to participate in a Skype interview with the Review Committee.

Program tentatively scheduled to accept applications starting September 1, 2020