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Every Heartbeat Matters Valve Fellowship Program

Program Overview

The AATS Foundation is proud to have received a grant from Edwards Lifesciences Foundation for this fellowship as part of its Every Heartbeat Matters (EHM) initiative. Between 2014-2020, the EHM community has impacted the global burden of heart valve disease by educating, screening and treating more than 1.7 million underserved people, surpassing the initial goal of 1 million. The next phase of this initiative is focused on improving the lives of 2.5 million additional underserved structural heart and critical care patients by the end of 2025. "Underserved" refers to individuals who have a health disparity as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lack awareness of, or access to, medically appropriate heart valve-related healthcare.

This fellowship’s aim is to enhance heart valve disease knowledge and skill training for surgeons around the world who treat individuals with limited access to healthcare. Surgeons may apply for up to three months of study, visiting a host institution for advanced VHD training and education to acquire skills that can be clinically implemented in their daily practice.

Curriculum

The Fellowship curriculum will cover non-thrombogenic valve surgery, focusing on advanced training in valve reconstruction and use of biological valve replacements (surgical and transcatheter) for:

  • Degenerative mitral valve disease
  • Rheumatic mitral valve disease
  • Aortic stenosis/regurgitation
  • Functional tricuspid regurgitation
  • Endocarditis
Training Center

The applicant is responsible for identifying a training center whose curriculum includes a sufficient amount of mitral, aortic and tricuspid valve surgery to fulfill his/her Fellowship goals. S/he must include a letter of support from the institution chosen

View previous Every Heartbeat Matters Valve Fellowship recipients

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the fellowship, an applicant must:

  • Have completed his/her cardiac and/or cardiothoracic surgery training;
  • Meet all necessary prerequisites for travel to and from the training center such as a visa and license requirements;
  • Provide information on the number of underserved patients s/he cares for annually.

Application Process

Fellowship submissions will be open annually. Each surgeon must fill out the formal application and include the following in his/her submission:

  • Curriculum Vitae;
  • If serving in a hospital/medical school — a letter from chief/chair;
  • A letter of support from the proposed training center;
  • A detailed plan outline for the proposed training, including a timeline;
  • A one-page narrative describing learning goals while at the proposed training center, as well as the relationship of the planned course of study to his/her prior work and professional goals;
  • A detailed outline of his/her current practice with an estimate of the number of underserved patients s/he treats annually, which includes the types of diseases currently treated, as well as an estimate of the number of VHD patients s/he may serve after training is completed.

Post-Fellowship Reporting

Every Fellowship recipient will be required to provide two reports detailing benefits of his/her training. The first report is due 30 days after completion of the Fellowship. It will discuss how the program enhanced the surgeon’s skill level and treatment of underserved patients. The second report is due one year later. It will cover the elements in the first report, as well as offer qualitative and quantitative analysis of treatment improvements and list the number of underserved patients receiving care.

Review Process

The AATS Foundation’s Fellowship Review Committee will review and grade all applicants based on the award criteria, and include the level at which the Fellowship will impact the underserved populations s/he serves. The Fellowship will provide annual awards to defray travel and living expenses.

There will be two funding levels:

Level One — Up to $7,500 (up to one month)
Level Two — Up to $15,000 (between one and three months)

The deadline for this award passed on August 1st.