NREF Post-Residency Clinical Fellowship Program
2013-2014 Applications Available Summer 2012
The NREF strongly encourages institutions to apply for funding for clinical neurosurgical fellowships with a focus on spine surgery, endovascular neurosurgery, general neurosurgery, neurocritical care, neurosurgical oncology, other cerebrovascular-related fellowships, pediatric neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, and stereotactic/functional neurosurgery.
The NREF will be responsible for all aspects of the fellowship grant program, including acceptance, review and approval of fellowship grant applications. The NREF will award fellowship grants based upon established program eligibility criteria and the needs of the requesting institution.
Fully funded spine and endovascular fellowships will be up to $75,000 and all others up to $50,000 per year. For all programs, grants may be awarded in lesser amounts, depending upon the need and the support available. Fellowship grant funding is intended to cover the stipend for the fellow. Other allowable expenses include salary and benefits, education and research expenses (travel and registration fees to nationally recognized meetings/courses), books, licenses, malpractice insurance, etc.
Commonly Asked Questions
Why are companies working with the NREF on fellowship grant funding?
Agreements like this with the NREF are intended to help companies continue their support of high quality education and training in spine surgery, endovascular neurosurgery, general neurosurgery, neurocritical care, neurosurgical oncology, other cerebrovascular-related fellowships, pediatric neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, and stereotactic/functional neurosurgery in an independent and transparent manner. By contracting with the NREF to administer the fellowship grant program, companies are also able to reduce staff time and related internal costs that are associated with the fellowship grant process. Under the terms of the Agreements, the NREF is responsible for all aspects of the fellowship grant program, including but not limited to the review and approval of grant applications.
How many grants are funded?
The NREF is pleased to announce that it awarded (20) fellowship grants for the 2011-2012 funding cycle, thirteen (13) were in the area of spine while seven (7) were in non-spine areas including to general neurosurgery, neurocritical care, neurosurgical oncology, other cerebrovascular-related fellowships, pediatric neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, stereotactic/functional neurosurgery, and endovascular neurosurgery. The number of grants awarded for the 2011-2012 funding cycle increased by five (5) from the previous year. The NREF is hopeful that the number of fellowship grants awarded in the 2012-2013 funding cycle will meet or exceed the 2011-2012 levels due to the generous support from our corporate supporters.
Can the application be sent electronically?
Electronic or PDF copies of the applications cannot be accepted at this time.
Is US citizenship a requirement to apply?
No, fellows do not have to be US citizens. However, a fellow must have satisfactorily completed an ACGME accredited residency training program in neurological surgery (or the Canadian equivalent).
What items are required to ensure an application is complete?
- A completed original submitted by m ail or electronically in PDF format. A hardcopy live signature is required.
- IRS determination letter and the ACGME certification letter should be submitted as PDF files.
- Letter of Accreditation from ACGME.
- If the fellowship program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Subspecialty Training (CAST) of the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS), a letter certifying CAST accreditation. In the event an institution has submitted an application for CAST accreditation but has not yet been formally accredited by the SNS, please submit a copy of the CAST accreditation request with the application.
- IRS Non-Profit Status Determination letter, including Federal ID number.
How many applications for fellowship funding can be submitted at annually from one institution?
Institutions may apply for one fellowship per category per year with the exception of spine where one adult spine fellowship application and one pediatric spine fellowship application will be accepted.
Can a fellowship support be secured from more than one funding source?
Funding for a fellowship awarded by the NREF through this program cannot be duplicated by any other outside funding source. For example, a $75,000 spine fellowship cannot receive funding from the NREF at $75,000 and a secondary funding source at $75,000; only one can be accepted. However, a $100,000 fellowship can receive funding from the NREF at $75,000 and $25,000 from a secondary source.
When will institutions receive notification of funding?
The foundation will use its best efforts to notify each applicant on or before January 31, 2012. However, the foundation reserves the right to notify subsequent to January 31, 2012. Public announcement will be contingent upon receipt of written confirmation from applicants.
There are two applications available on the website. What is the difference?
One application for is for programs that have not previously applied for NREF Post-Residency Clinical Fellowship funding. This is the general application and should be used by all programs that have not previously applied to the NREF for post-residency clinical fellowship funding.
The second application is for institutions that have previously applied for NREF Post-Residency Clinical Fellowship funding. If your program has submitted an application in previous funding cycles, please use this version.
If you have any questions about the fellowship offered through the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, please feel free to contact our office at 847-378-0500 or by email at nref@aans.org.
NREF - Supporting knowledge and education in this ever-changing and growing field of neurosurgery through post-residency fellowship.
WE PROUDLY RECOGNIZE THE FOLLOWING CORPORATIONS for their support of the
NREF Post-Residency Clinical Fellowship program for the 2012-2013 academic year!
DePuy Spine, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company
Codman & Shurtleff, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company
Medtronic
Zimmer Spine, Inc.
Lanx, Inc.
The Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Post-Residency, Clinical Fellowship Funding Program grants, awarded in the area of spine, are made possible
by support provided by DePuy Spine, Inc., Medtronic, Zimmer Spine, Inc., and Lanx, Inc.
The program receiving funding for the 2011-2012 academic year:
Cleveland Clinic
Johns Hopkins University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Northwestern University
Rush University
Stanford University
University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - San Francisco
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Utah
University of Virginia - Charlottesville
University of Washington
The Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Post-Residency, Clinical Fellowship Funding Program grants, awarded in the area of general neurosurgery, neurocritical care, neurosurgical oncology, other cerebrovascular-related fellowships, pediatric neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, and stereotactic functional neurosurgery, are made possible by support provided Codman & Shurtleff, Inc.
The programs receiving funding for the 2011-2012 academic year
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
University of Toronto
University of Utah
The Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Post-Residency Clinical Fellowship Funding Program grants, awarded in the area of endovascular neurosurgery, are made possible by support also provided by Codman & Shurtleff, Inc.
The programs receiving funding for the 2011-2012 academic year:
Methodist Healthcare Foundation, Semmes-Murphey
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
University of Florida
"Codman’s funding is important to furthering neurosurgeons’ knowledge of endovascular neurosurgery, an area that has seen rapid development in the utilization of state-of-the-art, minimally invasive techniques. Stroke, which affects nearly 800,000 people a year, is a clinical area in which endovascular approaches have been utilized successfully and continue to evolve. Research is integral to building on the ever-advancing technologies in neurosurgery, with the ultimate goal of improving the efficacy of procedures and patient outcome," stated AANS President James T. Rutka, MD, PhD, FACS.