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  • VESS Research Fellowship

Call for Applications

Deadline: April 1, 2025

Purpose

Keeping in line with the VESS mission of improving the quality of vascular and endovascular surgery through education and scholarship, VESS is proud to announce the development of the VESS Research Consortium (RC) and Research Fellowship. Harnessing the power of the VESS members – some of the brightest and inquisitive academic minds in the country – the research consortium seeks to answer topical clinical questions and set the standard in clinical outcomes research.

The VESS Vascular Research Fellowship, housed within the VESS Research Consortium, is a 2-year, VESS-sponsored fellowship. The trainee will work with the VESS RC, along with a local mentor, to develop a research question with multiple objectives. The fellow will engage with the VESS membership to gather high-fidelity, patient-level data, synthesize a comprehensive database, and analyze and present their ultimate findings. The goals of the endeavor are to provide an advanced research experience for the fellow, while generating high-quality research and informing evidence based, clinical practice guidelines.

For the current 2025-2027 VESS Research Fellowship, the focus will fall within the topic of peripheral arterial disease.

Details of the Fellowship

A two-year, dedicated research fellowship will be funded by the VESS Research Consortium. VESS will provide $50,000 each year to the awardee to support their research efforts; specifically, funds may be used towards tuition for educational research courses, research support and salary support. ** Due to the nature of a small societal grant, all funds must be provided directly to the awardee to be applied to their approved budget and to direct research activities at the housing institution; funds cannot to utilized for institutional overhead.

  • Year One:
    • The VESS Research Fellow will work with the VESS RC to finalize the research question
      • 3-4 objectives of the study
      • General topic will be PAD for the 2025-2027 fellowship
    • Engage with VESS members and their institutions to gather Data Use Agreements and IRB approvals
    • Gather data via RedCap, initiate data analysis
    • Attend monthly calls and give RIP updates quarterly
    • Attend monthly meetings with local research mentor, along with updating and submitting quarterly Individual Development Plans to the VESS RC
    • Course Requirements: Attend the Association of Academic Surgery Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course
  • Year Two:
    • Analyze Data, submit abstracts (mandated VESS winter and VESS/VAM spring at minimum)
    • Draft manuscript(s)
    • Presentation at VESS winter meeting summarizing their work and fellowship, along with achieved learning objectives
    • Mentor incoming trainee for 2026-2028

Eligible Applicants

Applicants must be current vascular surgery or general surgery resident who have the opportunity to take two contiguous years dedicated to clinical research and scholastic endeavors geared toward outcomes based clinical research. Applicants must have a local, on site, research mentor who has experience in outcomes based clinical research.

Application Components

Application Due Date: April 1, 2025
Award Notification: April 30, 2025
Award Period: July 1, 2025- June 30, 2027

  1. Personal Statement: Please provide a 1-page, singled spaced, personal statement detailing your previous research experience, educational plans during your dedicated two-year fellowship, and research goals.
  2. Up-to-Date CV
  3. Letter of Recommendation: Please provide a letter of recommendation from your primary, local research mentor; this should attest not only to the applicant’s suitability for the research award, but also planned mentorship support during this fellowship.
  4. Budget: Please detail a rough outline of the planned utilization of dispersed funds for both the first and second year of the fellowship.

**Combine all documents into one single pdf file and email to [email protected]