The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education and the International Relations Committee (IRC) are offering three international scholarships focused on surgical education in 2020. These awards will provide faculty members from countries other than the U.S. and Canada the opportunity to participate in a variety of development activities to gain new knowledge and skills that will be useful in improving surgical education and training in the scholar’s home institution and country.
The scholars will participate in the annual ACS Clinical Congress, including the Surgical Education: Principles and Practice course, as well as other plenary sessions and courses that address surgical education and training across the continuum of professional development. This continuum may include the needs of practicing surgeons across their entire careers, as well as the needs of surgery residents, medical students, and other members of the surgical team.
Following the Clinical Congress, each scholar will visit two Level I ACS-Accredited Education Institutes (ACS-AEIs) selected in advance based on the scholars’ interest areas in surgical education and training. At the conclusion of the Clinical Congress and their visits to the ACS-AEIs, each scholar will send to the IRC and the Division of Education a report outlining the outcomes that have been achieved as a result of the scholarship, specifically focusing on achievement of the objectives outlined in their application for the scholarship. The scholarships will facilitate the scholars’ involvement in subsequent collaborative ventures in education and training under the aegis of the ACS Division of Education.
Each scholarship includes a stipend of $10,000, supporting travel and per diem in North America and the cost of courses at the Clinical Congress and at the ACS-AEIs to be visited. Clinical Congress registration and fees for attendance at the Surgical Education: Principles and Practice course will be provided gratis.
Requirements
Applicants must provide documentation of prior experience in surgical education and training, such as involvement in the development and evaluation of education modules, use of novel teaching and assessment strategies, or curriculum design. In addition, applicants must submit a one-paragraph description of their education philosophies, a list of specific educational goals and objectives for their visits, and evidence of support of these goals and objectives from the leadership at their home institutions. These documents will be reviewed by the Division of Education as part of the selection process. At least five years of experience is required beyond completion of all training and fellowships.
Scholarships must be used in the year awarded; they may not be postponed.
Full scholarship requirements for this program are available on the ACS website. The application for the scholarship may be accessed at the bottom of the requirements page. Questions should be directed to scholarships@facs.org.
