Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists

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Jane Fitch Education Award

The Jane Fitch Education Award supports high-quality educational initiatives in cardiovascular anesthesiology. It serves as a seed grant for small pilot or proof-of-concept projects that benefit all members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA).

Timeline
  • Opens: October 20, 2025
  • Closes: January 19, 2026
  • Project Completion: Within 2 years of award
  • Award Amount: $5,000
Eligibility

You must:

  1. Be a member of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA).
  2. Practice in cardiothoracic or vascular anesthesia.
  3. Hold an MD or DO degree.
  4. Be at any career stage.
  5. Propose a project that benefits all SCA members.
Application Components
  1. Title Page (use SCA template)

Include:

  • Project Title
  • Applicant’s name, degrees, rank
  • Sponsoring institution
  • Department chair info (name, address, phone)
  • Financial officer info (name, address, phone)
  1. Curriculum Vitae

A concise CV highlighting educational and leadership experience.

  1. Letter of Support (Department Chair)

Must address:

  • Applicant’s educational and professional strengths
  • Departmental support for project and time allocation
  • Available facilities/resources
  • Agreement to return unused funds if project incomplete
Project Plan (≤ 5 pages, double spaced, 12 pt. font)
  1. Background
  • Applicant’s education and leadership background
  • Examples of prior educational initiatives
  1. Project Proposal

Include:

  • Description: What the project is, where it will be housed, collaborators, and required tools (e.g., software).
  • Access: Must be available to all SCA members (not limited to your institution).
  • Target Audience: Specify learners — clinicians, trainees, faculty, or patients (if applicable).
  • Sustainability Plan: How the project will continue to benefit others post-funding.
  • Evaluation Plan: Clear steps to measure outcomes and impact.
  • AI Acknowledgment: State if AI tools were used in proposal preparation.
Potential Project Ideas

You can tailor your proposal around:

  • AI or digital learning tools for curriculum design, learner assessment, or faculty development
  • Faculty development initiatives within cardiac anesthesia education
  • A new course for SCA members (similar to ARC: A Review Course)
  • Evidence-based, systems-based, or patient safety educational interventions promoting high-value, equitable care
Submission Information
  • Submission Email: awards@scahq.org
  • Format: Single PDF file
  • Deadline: January 19, 2026, by 11:59 pm Central Time
  • Questions: awards@scahq.org

2026 SCA Research Grants

2026 SCA Research Grants

SCA STARTER and JOYCE WAHR STARTER GRANTS ONLY!

Submit Your Letter of Intent NOW!

Deadline: November 14, 2025

This process will be optional for potential applicants to the Starter and Joyce Wahr Starter Grants in the 2026 grant cycle.

The goal of this process is to match applicants with a “Grant Development Mentor” with SCA research grant and/or topic area expertise. Triage is not a goal of this process, but the research committee will screen LOIs to identify any projects/PIs that do not align with eligibility requirements and priority project types for this funding mechanism.

Applicants will be invited to submit a full application for the 2026 Research Grants unless otherwise notified that the project is not eligible for the funding mechanism or would be incompatible.

The letter of intent should include:

  1. Research Grants Title Page – Click Here
  2. Letter of Intent (1-2 pages)
    1. Description of the proposed project
    2. Description of the roles of the key personnel
    3. Importance of this project for the investigator and future funding/career goals
    4. A statement that the PI’s intent to submit has been discussed with the mentor, department chair, and applicable grants office/staff.
    5. A statement as to whether or not the applicant is interested in being matched with a “Proposal Development Advisor”
  1. Biosketch (NIH Format) of the Applicant and Mentor

Members of the Research Committee will review the letter of intent (LOI).

Award Details:

  • Letter of intent deadline: November 14, 2025
  • Full grant application submission period opens: November 24, 2025
  • Grant application submission closes: February 9, 2026

Click Here for the 2026 Research Grant Full Instructions

The LOI and supporting documents should be collated into one (1) PDF document with the investigators last name as the title and sent to grants@scahq.org by November 14, 2025.

For questions, please contact Dr. Anne Cherry at anne.cherry@duke.edu  or Denise Herdrich at dherdrich@veritasamc.com.

Involvement Opportunities

  • Write a Newsletter or Journal article.
  • Submit an abstract – abstract submissions for the Annual Meeting & Workshops, Thoracic Anesthesia Symposium, and Echo Week Meeting open several months prior to each meeting.
  • Submit a PBLD – Problem-Based Learning Discussions (PBLDs) are a key feature of each year’s Annual Meeting & Workshops. Accepted submissions will be invited to participate in the meeting as a PBLD speaker.
  • Connect with us on social media – Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay engaged with the Society and your colleagues.

Special Interest Groups

Are you interested in connecting and interacting with colleagues who share similar interests and challenges? An SCA SIG can offer you that opportunity!

Explore SCA’s SIGs: