American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship

[aberrant]

Anyone applied AHA here? Any advice for those who are interested in applying?

[aberrant]

Not sure how or why AHA Predoctoral fellowship seems quite underrated in this forum, but for those who are curious/interested to know more about American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship, here are some info (valid as of July 2015).

 

Few key points regarding the program:

- Two application cycle per year -- Winter (due in mid Jan) and Summer (due in mid/late July)

- Available to international students who are studying in the U.S. (I got it this year)

- Does not have to be directly related to cardiovascular diseases / coronary heart diseases / stroke. In other words, basic science/research is okay -- as long as it is "broadly-related to AHA's mission". For that section, you'll have to put more effort to relate your work with CVD, CHD, stroke, etc. -- literature references would be a good start. Otherwise, be creative while scientifically sound.

- Fairly high acceptance rate

- Typically a 2-year funding/award

- Allow resubmission -- twice (not a resubmission if there is a significant change in specific aim / experimental approach. you can read more on the website).

 

Something to be aware of regarding the application:

- Require preliminary data. In fact, it weights more than your writing skills

- Does not require broader impact section in your proposal unlike NSF GRFP (doesn't mean you should totally ignore it, however)

- Does not require career plan essay; do require an multiple-choice / selection based Individual Development Plan

- Previous publication is not required, but preferable

- 3 reviewers per application, but at least 2 reviewers will provide comments

- When several applications are scored closely, they are ranked based on layman abstract, summary, and "broader impact in layman terms" -- this is part of the application, but not in the proposal

- Require to select the focus of your research (e.g. cell biology, structural biology, biochemistry, etc.) for categorization purposes

- When in doubt, always call their office and ask any questions that you have. They are very friendly and helpful . From questions regarding application to technical difficulties, they always work things out with you.

 

Any other questions or comments, feel free to post it here on PM me (not very active on TGC these days).

Edited July 12, 2015 by aberrant

[neto1992]

Hello,

Does anyone know the exact date that AHA notifies applicants of the predoctoral program of their decision? Website says November but the wait is agonizing. 

[gloriaepi2019]

I am going to apply next year, and I think AHA has changed it into once a year now. And the due date is in August of each year.

[sabrinachemE]

Has anyone applied for 2022? If so, when should we hear back? The start date is Jan 1st